Altruistic World Online Library

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Part 1 of 4

P'QUDE

Ex. XXXVIII. 21-XL, 38

THESE ARE THE ACCOUNTS OF THE TABERNACLE. EVEN THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY. AS THEY WERE RENDERED ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT OF MOSES. ETC. R. Hiya, in this connection. quoted the verse: "All the rivers run into the sea. yet the sea is not full" (Eccles. I, 7). 'Esoterically speaking', he said, 'all the rivers here allude to the sacred brooks and springs which, when filled, pour forth to supply the great ocean. This in turn, when so filled, flows over and affords drink to all the "beasts of the field". These are the lower Chariot group, for, after the ocean has drawn in all the waters it lets them out towards one side, namely, towards the lower Holy Chariots, giving them drink. Now, these are all numbered and noted by name, as we read: "He calleth them all by name" (Isa. XL, 26). Similarly, "These are the accounts of the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony".'

R. Jose cited here the verse: "Oh how abundant is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee" (Ps. XXXI, 20). 'How greatly incumbent', he said, 'it is on the sons of men to reflect on and to study the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, inasmuch as day by day [220b] a voice goes forth and proclaims: "O ye people of the world, take heed unto yourselves, close the gates of sin, keep away from the perilous net before your feet are caught in it '" A certain wheel [1] is ever whirling continuously round and round. Woe to those whose feet lose their hold on the wheel, for then they fall into the Deep which is predestined for the evildoers of the world' Woe to those who fall, never to rise and enjoy the light that is stored up for the righteous in the world to come , Happy are the righteous in the world to come, for many are the effulgences treasured up for them, many the felicities reserved for them. The verse continues: "which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee in the sight of the sons of men". The word "wrought" refers to the fact that God wrought the light as the medium for the creation of the world. "For them that take refuge in thee", to wit, for those who dwell underneath the shadow of the Holy One, blessed be He; "in the sight of the sons of men", inasmuch as it is the functioning of this light that makes possible the existence of mankind, who are sustained by it despite the fact that the light itself is stored away. Again, "which thou hast wrought", viz. as a medium for the construction of the world according to an orderly plan; and similar to the construction of the world was the construction of the Tabernacle. This is indicated by the similarity of the phrase, "these are the accounts of the tabernacle", and "these are the generations of the heaven and the earth". For all the generations of heaven and earth were produced by the energy of that treasured-up Light; and likewise, all that came within the "accounts of the tabernacle" was accomplished by the same energy. How do we know this? Because Scripture says, "And Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah", he being of the "right side"; "and with him was Oholiab", who was of the "left side", for the Tabernacle was made by the energy of both the right side and the left side, and was finally erected by Moses, who united the two.'

R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: "And a throne is established through mercy, and there sitteth thereon in truth, in the tent of David, one that judgeth, and seeketh justice, and is ready in righteousness" (Isa. XVI, 5). 'This has been explained as follows', he said. 'When the Thought arose with glad purpose from the Most Recondite and Unknowable, that gladness impinged on the Thought, so that the latter entered more and more deeply until it was secluded in the interior of a certain supernal undisclosed Palace. [2] It is from thence that there flow forth, first all the rivers of the "right side", and after them the others. On the "right side" it was that the Lower Throne was established, since the Holy One, blessed be He, established that Throne "through mercy, and there sitteth thereon in truth". The Throne is the bearer of the seal, the impress of which is Truth, and the Holy One sits on that Throne only in virtue of that seal; "in the tent of David", which is identical with the Lower Throne. "One that judgeth" is from the side of Rigour; "and seeketh judgement", from the side of Mercy; "and is ready in judgement", alluding to the Throne of Judgement, which is on earth. Similarly, the Tabernacle was established only on this side of Mercy, as already said; and thereby were adjusted all the affairs of the lower world.'

THESE ARE THE ACCOUNTS OF THE TABERNACLE, EVEN THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY, AS THEY WERE RENDERED ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT OF MOSES. R. Simeon discoursed here on the verse: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. I, 1). 'This verse', he said, [221a] 'has been already expounded from various aspects. However, when the Holy One, blessed be He, created this world, He created it after the pattern of the supernal world. All the aspects of the upper world he established in the lower, so that the two worlds should be firmly knitted together. Furthermore, the Holy One, when about to create the world, used the Torah as a copy, and also the Divine Name, which is the epitome of the Torah, and by it firmly established the world. By three energies is the world upheld, to wit, by Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge. So Scripture says: "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths were broken up" (Prov. III, 19-20). Observe that with the same three the Tabernacle was built, as it is written: "And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge" (Ex. XXXI, 3); and all these three are indicated in the story of Creation. Thus, "In the beginning" corresponds to Wisdom; "God created" hints at Understanding; "the heaven" to Knowledge. Similarly, in the account of the Tabernacle, "These are the accounts of the tabernacle" points to Wisdom; "even the tabernacle of testimony" points to Understanding; "as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moses" points to Knowledge. The two thus correspond to each other. Now, when God commanded Moses to make the Tabernacle, Moses stood bewildered, not knowing how to proceed until God showed him an actual representation of it. We thus read: "And see that thou make them after their pattern, which is being shown thee in the mount" (Ex. XXV, 40). We learn from the phrase, "after their pattern", that the Holy One showed Moses each single part of it in its exact supernal form, after which Moses constructed the earthly Tabernacle. Why does Scripture say, "which thou art shown (mor'eh) on the mount" instead of "which thou seest (roeh)"? By this we learn that Moses was shown through a dark glass, as it were, the reflection of all the parts of the Tabernacle as they existed on high, and as they were to be constructed here below. Moses, on surveying them, was somewhat perplexed, so God said to him: "O Moses, do thou follow thy indications and I will follow mine." Moses then commenced the work without misgiving.

'When he had completed the whole work it was necessary for him to make an inventory of all the parts in order that the Israelites should not say that there was a surplus of silver or gold which he was keeping back for himself. He had thus to render an account in the presence of Israel according to the injunction, "and ye shall be clear before the Lord and before Israel" (Num. XXXII, 22). Hence it is written; "These are the accounts of the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony." For, indeed, the Holy Spirit made the whole of Israel see the amount of gold and silver offered by them, and then rendered account of them, calling out: "All the gold that was used for the work ... And the silver of them that were numbered in the congregation was a hundred talents... ." For the Holy One, blessed be He, was well pleased with those artificers and thus desired to demonstrate their trustworthiness before all. When the work of the Tabernacle was completed, the "other side" began going to and fro to see if he could not find something wrong, but he could discover no ground to impugn the honesty of the artificers; and the Holy One, blessed be He, made him do obeisance to Moses, and forced him against his will to acknowledge the correctness of the accounts. The integrity of the artificers was thus revealed to all; and this is the inward significance of the sentence, "These are the accounts of the tabernacle". It is also written, "as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moses", which signifies that by the order of Moses a complete account was rendered of all that concerned the Tabernacle in the presence of himself and the whole of Israel.' [221b]

THESE ARE THE ACCOUNTS OF THE TABERNACLE, EVEN THE TABERNACLE OF TESTIMONY. The term "tabernacle" is mentioned twice: once in reference to the one on high, and once in reference to the one below. What constituted the "testimony"? In regard to this, Scripture says, "even the tribes of the Lord (YH), as a testimony unto Israel" (Ps. CXXII, 4), whence we learn that that Divine Name is a testimony unto Israel. Verily, these two letters render testimony in every place. Hence "tabernacle" is used as the symbol of this holy name. [3] To this allusion is made in the words, "and my testimony that I shall teach them" (Ibid. CXXXII, 12), inasmuch as it is a spot hidden and undisclosed beyond all other spots.

As WAS RENDERED ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT OF MOSES. This refers to the testimony, not to the Tabernacle, and we should render "which was entrusted to the mouth of Moses". For after the departure from this world of the patriarchs and all the heads of the tribes, to wit, the sons of Jacob, during Israel's sufferings in exile, the knowledge of the mystery of that supernal Divine Name was forgotten by them, the Name bound up with the testimony, the Name composed of those two letters which are the basis of heaven and earth, of high and low, and of all corners of the universe. But when Moses carne, that Name was once more sought after and mentioned. For when he was near the thorn-bush he straightway asked concerning that Name, saying, "and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?" (Ex. III, 13). It was there that that Name was entrusted to the mouth of Moses. We read further: THR0UGH THE SERVICE 0F THE LEVITES. The inner significance of this is supplied by the passage: "But the Levite shall serve Hu (lit. He)" (Num. XVIII, 23), which is an emblem of the Holy Name. Therein is enclosed the mystery of the Divine Name, which is characterized by "He" (hu), and not "Thou" (atthah). The Tabernacle is thus fitly identified with the "service of the Levites". Or we may also say that the Tabernacle is the "service of the Levites", inasmuch as they carried it on their shoulders from place to place, as Scripture says: "But unto the sons of Kehath he gave none, because the service of the holy things belonged unto them: they bore them upon their shoulders" (Num. VII, 9).

THESE ARE THE ACCOUNTS OF THE TABERNACLE, EVEN THE TABERNACLE OF TESTIMONY. R. Abba began a discourse on the verse: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek, and his resting-place shall be glorious" (Isa. XI, 10). 'In that day', he said, 'when peace will flourish in the world, the root of the Tree of Life will be confirmed, and from it shall all the terrestrial roots ramify and draw strength. "That standeth for an ensign of the people"; to wit, as a sign and symbol of the inwardness of the Divine Name. "Unto him shall the nations seek"; inasmuch as in him is contained the mystery of the Divine Name. The same is indicated in the words; "And many people shall go and say: Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord", etc. (Ibid. II, 3). "And his resting-place shall be glorious", to wit, the Temple, of which it is written: "This is my resting-place for ever" (Ps. CXXXIl, 14). Now, the resting-place of the root of Jesse, which is called "the glory of the Lord", will never be within the bounds of numbering and calculation. For blessing rests not upon what is counted, but only on what is beyond number. Observe that that Tabernacle was subjected to an inventory, and hence it needed the prayer of Moses for blessings to rest upon it, as Scripture says: "And Moses blessed them" (Ex. XXXIX, 42). What blessing did he pronounce? He said: "Let it be His will that blessing should rest on your handiwork." Yet blessings did not rest on that Tabernacle until Moses joined it to the heavenly Tabernacle. So Scripture says: "These are the accounts of the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moses." The last words indicate that without the supervision of Moses the accounts could not have been rendered.'

R. Abba continued: 'We find it written that the woman of Zarephath said to Elijah: [222a] "As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, only a handful of meal in the jar, and a little 0;1 in the cruse" (I Kings XVII, 12). Now, a "handful" forms a definite measure, hence it was not fitting that any blessing should rest upon the cruse. Nevertheless, we are told further: " For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: The jar of meal shall not be spent, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord will give rain upon the land" (Ibid. 14); and so it was. Now if that meal, though measured out and known to consist of a handful, yet did not fail to receive blessing in virtue of the word spoken by Elijah, how much the more so here, in regard to the Tabernacle of the testimony, notwithstanding its having been subjected to numbering, was it meet that blessings should rest on it since its inventory was made by Moses himself!'

THESE ARE THE ACCOUNTS OF THE TABERNACLE. R. Hezekiah adduced here the verse: "Draw not nigh hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Ex. III, 5). 'This verse', he said, has been explained as an injunction to Moses to separate from his wife so as to cleave to the Shekinah. The term "holy ground" denotes the Shekinah, to whom Moses attached himself at that moment. The Holy One, blessed be He, thus bound him to Himself in heavenly love and affection, made him, as it were, steward of the House, so that he had only to order and the Holy One would execute that decree, as when he said, "and the ground shall open her mouth", etc. (Num. XVI, 30), and we are told, "And it came to pass as he made an end of speaking ... that the ground did cleave asunder" (Ibid. 31); or again, as when he said, "Rise up, O Lord ... Return, O Lord" (Ibid. x, 35-36). It is thus written: "as they were counted (puqqad) under the commandment of Moses", for it was under the command of Moses that the whole was accomplished and the sum of it counted. The word piqude (numberings) here contains an allusion to the message which God gave to Moses, saying: "I have indeed taken count (paqod paqadti) of you" (Ex. III, 16). For it was Moses who constituted the voice that uttered the message which heralded the departure of Israel from exile.'

AND BEZALEL, THE SON OF URI, THE SON OF HUR, OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, ETC. Said R. Judah: 'It has been laid down that Bezalel was of the "right side", and so it was he who perfected the whole work. Furthermore, since Judah was ruler and king over the rest of the tribes, it thus fell to a descendant of his to construct the Tabernacle. It has already been explained that the name Bezalel is a compound of two words, signifying "in the shadow of God", and thus indicates the "right side". Further, from this side Bezalel possessed himself of the wisdom to do all the work. AND WITH HIM WAS OHOLIAB, THE SON OF AHISAMACH, OF THE TRIBE OF DAN. Oholiab symbolized the "left side", the side of Rigour. The Tabernacle was thus made out of the two sides and upheld by both, so as to be a combination and a balancing of the Right and the Left.' R. Judah further cited in regard to this the verse: "Beautiful bowery, [4] the joy of the whole earth; even Mount Zion, the uttermost parts of the north, the city of the great king" (Ps. XLVIII, 3). 'Observe', he said, 'that when the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to create the world, He detached one precious stone from underneath His Throne of Glory and plunged it into the Abyss, one end of it remaining fastened therein whilst the other end stood out above; and this other and superior head constituted the nucleus of the world, the point out of which the world started, spreading itself to right and left and into all directions, and by which It IS sustained. That nucleus, that stone, is called sh'thyiah (foundation), as it was the starting-point of the world. The name sh'thyiah, furthermore, is a compound of shath (founded) and Yah (God), signifying that the Holy One, blessed be He, made it the foundation and starting-point of the world and all that is therein. [222b] Now, the earth's expansion round the central point was completed in three concentric rings, each of a different hue and texture. The first ring, the nearest to the Point, is of the purest and most refined earth-material; the second expansion, surrounding the first, is of a less polished, less refined earth-material than the first, but is superior to the one surrounding it; the third expansion consists of the darkest and coarsest earth-material of all. Then, surrounding that expansion, come the waters of the ocean that surrounds the whole world. Thus the point is in the centre, and the various expansions encircle it. The first expansion embraces the Sanctuary and all its courts and enclosures and all its appurtenances, as well as the whole city of Jerusalem bounded by the wall; the second expansion embraces the whole of the Land of Israel, the Land which was declared holy; the third expansion comprehends the rest of the earth, the dwelling-place of all the other nations. Then comes the great ocean which surrounds the whole. The whole arrangement is symbolized by the structure of the human eye. For just as in the human eye there are three concentric layers surrounding a central point, which forms the focus of vision, so is the world's vision focused in the central point, consisting of the Holy of Holies and the Ark and the Mercy Seat. Hence the description, "a beautiful bowery, the joy of the whole earth", "beautiful" in its appearance, and radiating joy to the whole world. It is compared to a "bowery" because the beauty of a tree is displayed in its branches. Observe that true beauty and symmetry were not manifested in the world until the Tabernacle was finally erected and the Ark brought within the Holy of Holies. From that moment the world appeared at its best, it attained its just balance, and a way was opened through the Tabernacle and past the Ark up to that Point, that "beautiful bowery, the joy of the whole earth". When that point was reached the Ark broke forth, saying: "This is my resting-place for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it" (Ps. CXXXII, 14).' R. Jesse said: 'This verse was uttered by the Community of Israel when the Temple was built and the Ark entered into its place.' R. Hezekiah said: 'It is the Holy One, blessed be He, who utters this verse, applying it to the Community of Israel when the latter performs His will. For at such a time the Holy One, blessed be He, ascends His Throne of Glory, and has compassion on the world, and blessings and peace and love are there, so that He says: "This is my resting-place for ever", etc. Now, observe that once the artisans had begun the work of the Tabernacle, it veritably completed itself of its own accord. This we learn from the words, "Thus was finished all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting" (Ex. XXXIX, 32). The same happened in the creation of the world, of which it is likewise written: "And the heaven and the earth were finished" (Gen. II, 1). This, it is true, seems to conflict with the statement that "on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made" (Ibid. 2.) But the truth is, that although the several parts of the world completed themselves one by one, yet the world in its entirety was only completed and firmly established when the seventh day came. For then did the Holy One, blessed be He, with it knit together the world into a complete whole, so that it could be written, "And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made." It was the same with the building of the Temple. The artisans having begun their work, it showed them what was to be done, as it were, before their eyes; it was traced out in their sight, and it completed itself of its own accord.' [5] [223a]

AND BEZALEL, THE SON OF URI, THE SON OF HUR. Tradition tells us that it was the Holy Spirit who made this announcement in the presence of Israel, proclaiming: "And Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses." AND WITH HIM WAS OHOLIAB, THE SON OF AHISAMACH. From the expression, "and with him ('itto)", we learn that Oholiab never performed any work by himself, but always in association with Bezalel. Hence the words, "and with him", which proves that the left is always embraced within the right.

THESE ARE THE ACCOUNTS OF THE TABERNACLE, EVEN THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY, AS THEY WERE RENDERED ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT OF MOSES, ETC. R. Jesse said: 'The wise men having completed the Tabernacle, it was requisite that an account should be rendered of all the parts of the work. For what reason? Because as the account of each work was rendered, so did that work become firmly established in its place. Furthermore, as the Israelites had found delight at first in their voluntary offerings, so were they delighted in the accounts being rendered; and thus their delight helped to the confirming of the work. Now, it is written "these" and not "and these", this signifying that this account eclipsed all previous accounts rendered in the world, and was destined to outlive them, being the one by which the Tabernacle was sustained.' R. Jesse further discoursed on the verse: "And there shall be faithfulness in thy times, strength of salvation, wisdom and knowledge, and the fear of the Lord which is his treasure" (Isa. XXXIII, 6). 'We have been taught', he said, 'that whoever devotes himself to the study of the Torah in this world, and is able to appoint set times for it, must do so in "faithfulness", must direct his mind toward the Holy One, blessed be He, must study for Heaven's sake. The words" strength of salvation" indicate that he must fuse Rigour with Mercy. "Wisdom and Knowledge" are two qualities which merge into one another. "The fear of the Lord is his treasure"; to wit, the treasure which contains the qualities just mentioned. For the fear of the Lord collects all those "brooks" (of wisdom), and so becomes the receptacle of all. And when these treasures issue from it they do so under a vigilant count-taking. That process is thus called "faithfulness", as explained. Verily, if herein faithfulness has to be manifested, how much more so in workaday matters! The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore made the whole of Israel know the inwardness of faithfulness in all things that they performed.'

R. Jose and R. Isaac once were walking together when R. Jose remarked: 'The Holy One, blessed be He, indeed chose Bezalel from all Israel for the work of the Tabernacle. Why so?' R. Isaac replied: 'There is something in a name. It has been laid down that God has appointed certain names here on earth to be a crown to men and to enable them to achieve certain things.' R. Jose thereupon said: 'A more recondite explanation is as follows. Judah was of the "left side", but then attached himself to the "right side", and so the Tabernacle was begun from the "left side" and then was joined to the "right side", so that the whole was transformed into the "right". Reuben, on the other hand, began on the "right" but turned aside to the "left", and the other tribes of his company marched together with him, they also belonging to the "left". Hence Bezalel, who was of the tribe of Judah, and thus of the "right side", made the Tabernacle and completed it. As already said, the Holy One, blessed be He, took delight in him and chose him above all the rest [223b] for this work, and gave him wisdom and understanding and knowledge, inasmuch as he already was possessed of all wisdom of heart, as it is written: "and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom" (Ex. XXXI, 6). For the Holy One, blessed be He, does not grant wisdom save to him that already has wisdom.' R. Simeon said: 'The name Bezalel was emblematic, and he was called so in virtue of his wisdom; esoterically the name is composed of b'zel- El (in the Shadow of God). In the verse, "As an apple tree among the trees of the wood ... under its shadow I delighted to sit" (S.S. II, 3), the words, "under its shadow" (b'zilo), are an allusion to Bezalel, who made the Tabernacle, which is a delightful place wherein to sit, for it gives delight to the Community of Israel, and the Community of Israel sits under the shadow of God. Hence, "And Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur", "the son of Uri" denoting one of the right, and "the son of Hur" one of the left. And so, through him, full atonement was made for the sin of the Golden Calf. ALL THE GOLD THAT WAS MADE: that is to say, that was destined for the purpose long before. FOR THE WORK IN ALL THE HOLY WORK; indicating that gold had to be used in the working out of each separate grade, for the reason that completeness can only be reached through the working together of Severity and Mercy. Hence gold had to go into all the work connected with the Sanctuary.

R. Abba, R. Jose, and R. Hizkiah were once sitting together studying the Torah. Said R. Hizkiah to R. Abba: 'Since we see that the Holy One, blessed be He, finds delight in dealing out stern judgement, tempering mercy therewith, why, then, does He withhold it from sinners?' R. Abba answered: 'Many mountains have been uprooted [6] on this question. But the Sacred Lamp (R. Simeon) has revealed a number of truths in regard to this matter. Observe that the severity of judgement in which the Holy One, blessed be He, delights, is of the judgement fully clarified, the judgement that evokes clemency and gladness. But the sinners in this world are the embodiment of a judgement steeped in defilement, a judgement altogether 'displeasing to the Holy One, blessed be He. Hence He desires not to mingle holy judgement with defiled judgement until such time as the latter will be exterminated of itself and the sinner thus will be destroyed from the future world; by that very defiled judgement will he be destroyed from the world.' R. Abba illustrated from the verse: "When the wicked spring up as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do blossom; it is that they may be destroyed for ever" (Ps. XCII, 8). 'This verse', he said, 'apart from its more obvious meaning, is to be interpreted as follows. When the wicked spring up, it is but as grass, to wit, like grass that is withered in the parched soil, but revives somewhat at the approach of water, and like a felled tree that can still send forth twigs on either side, but can never regain its former foliage. So will the wicked be destroyed for ever and be altogether uprooted. There is this further truth underlying this verse. It is, that the Holy One, blessed be He, is long-suffering with the wicked in this world, because this world is the portion of the "other side", whereas the world to come belongs to the side of holiness, is the portion of the righteous for them to abide therein adorned with the crown of the glory of their Master. These two sides are the counterparts of one another, the one [224a] the side of holiness, the other that of defilement; the one destined for the righteous, the other for the wicked. Happy are those righteous who have no portion in this world but only in the world to come. Observe that all is predisposed and revealed before the Holy One, blessed be He. Even so was it with Balak and Balaam: although the motive of their action [7] was not the glory of Heaven, yet was all they did duly recorded before the Lord, who did not diminish aught of their reward in this world. Thus, through the power of the forty-two offerings which they brought on the seven altars, Balak and Balaam obtained for the time being dominion over Israel, so that twenty and four thousand Israelites died by the plague besides those who were slain, as we read: "Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them up unto the Lord in face of the sun... . Slay ye every one his men that have joined themselves unto the Baal of Peor" (Num. XXV, 4-5).' R. Simeon said: 'Observe that the forty-two offerings brought by Balaam and Balak were offerings diverted from the "other side" towards the Holy One, blessed be He, and so the "other side", which is called "curse", had to be repaid these offerings from Israel. This is the inner implication of the verse, "And he (Elisha) looked behind him and saw them" (2 Kings II, 24). That is to say, "behind him", meaning the "other side", which stands behind the Shekinah. He turned "and saw them" (the children), as being meet for punishment; "and cursed them in the name of the Lord" (Ibid.), inducing the Divine Name, as it were, to discharge the debt owing to the "other side", for the latter's offerings which had been diverted to Him. Thus all is made right before the Holy One, blessed be He, and not a single act is lost, whether for good or for evil. Take again the act of David in fleeing from before Saul. That was the cause of all the priests of Nob being destroyed, with the sole exception of Abiathar, the son of Zadok, and this in turn was the cause of many evils that befell Israel. Through it Saul and his sons were killed, and many thousands and myriads fell in Israel. But all the time the punishment to be exacted for that sin was hanging over David, until all his' descendants perished in one day, with the sole exception of Joash, [8] who was stolen away from among the slain. Yet was that sin against Nob still awaiting expiation, as indicated in the words: "There is still a day for a halt to be made at Nob" (Isa. X, 32). The same balancing of accounts is indicated in the words here, "All the gold ready-made (he'asui) for the work". What signifies the attribute "ready-made"? It signifies that God foresaw that the Israelites would give up their gold for the making of the Golden Calf, and so made them first give up their gold for the erection of the Tabernacle so as to make good the offering of the other gold. For had the Israelites still possessed all their gold at the time they made the Golden Calf, they would hardly have had to "break off the golden rings which were in their ears" (Ex. XXXII, 3), The offering of the gold for the Tabernacle was thus an atonement for the other gold. [9] Hence, "And Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah", of the side of royalty, "made all that the Lord commanded Moses". For all the craftsmanship of the Tabernacle was achieved through these two, Bezalel performing all the work, and Moses afterwards putting the finishing touch. Moses and Bezalel were both parts, as it were, of one whole, Moses being above and Bezalel underneath, since the end of the body is also part of the body.'

R. Jose gave a further exposition of the verse relating to Elisha which says: "And he went up from thence unto Beth-e1; and as he was going up by the way, certain youths (ne'arim), little ones", etc. (2 Kings II, 23). 'The term ne'arim (youths)', he said, 'has been expounded to mean empty, [10] that is, empty of any words of the Torah and of any observance of the precepts of the Torah: "little ones", [224b] to wit, of little faith, and such as were doomed in this world and in the world to come; "came forth out of the city" (Ibid.), that is, they abandoned the mystery of Divine Faith, the term "city" having the same implication here as in the passage, "and I will not enter the city" (Hos. XI, 9). [11] "And he looked behind him and saw them" (2 Kings II, 24); that is, he surveyed their future to see whether they would ever turn back from their evil ways, "and he saw them" as being such that were not ever to bring forth any good seed. Again, "and he saw them", that is, he recognized them as such as had been conceived on the night of the Day of Atonement; [12] straightway, therefore, "he cursed them in the name of the Lord" (Ibid.). Further, "And he turned behind him" signifies that having surveyed them in order to find out whether he would be punished for their sake or not, "he turned behind him", in other words, he found himself turned away and removed from such punishment. Parallel to it is the passage, "and Aaron turned" (Num. XI, 10), signifying that Aaron was turned away and shielded from Miriam's leprosy; "and he saw them", as being destined to perpetrate much evil in Israel. "And he turned behind him" further signifies that he turned his gaze behind the Shekinah, as it says of Lot's wife that she "looked back from behind him" (Gen. XIX, 26), meaning "from behind the Shekinah". Thus Elisha looked behind the Shekinah and discerned that their mothers had conceived them all on the night that. presides over the atonement of the sins of Israel. Straightway "he cursed them in the name of the Lord". "And there came forth two bears" (2 Kings II, 24) -- she bears, as indicated by the feminine numeral sh'tayim, big with offspring, "and tare forty and two children of them" (Ibid.), in correspondence, as has been explained, to the number of offerings brought by Balak.

'EVEN THE GOLD OF WAVING WAS. Why is the gold characterized as that of "waving"; and why is the silver not so characterized, although the brass is, as it says, "the brass of waving"? The reason is that "waving" signifies "rising upward", and thus distinguishes this gold from the lower and inferior gold. For all the grades and Chariots are of the superior plane, symbolized by the "gold of waving", and this same gold, the further it extends downwards the more it loses in colour, in virtue, and in brilliancy. Whilst in the heights above it is goodly gold in the mystery of its brilliancy, below it is the dross of itself and its refuse. No so the silver, of which it is simply written, "And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation". For silver retains its virtues, even in its extension downwards, although it does not remain in the same excellence; whereas gold, in its extension downwards, becomes coarser and coarser. [13] Hence the one had to be waved and raised to the heights, whilst the other had to be extended downwards and into all directions, since it retains its excellence everywhere.'

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:43 am

Part 2 of 4

R. Jose then continued to discourse, citing the verse: "For the Lord God (YHVH ELOHIM) is a sun and a shield; the Lord giveth grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. LXXXIV, 12). 'The "sun", he said, 'contains the mystery of the Divine Name YHVH, wherein is the abode of rest of all the grades, whereas "shield" contains the mystery of the Divine Name ELOHIM; the same is indicated in "I am thy shield" (Gen. XV, 1). The two together, sun and shield, constitute thus the mystery of the Divine Name complete: "the Lord giveth grace and glory", so that the whole should merge into a unity. "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly". This is in antithesis to the passage saying, "But from the wicked their light is withholden" (Job XXXVIII, 15), and is an allusion to the primordial light, of which it is written, "And God saw the light that it was good" (Gen. I, 4), and so the Holy One, blessed be He, put it away and stored it up, as already said. He treasured it up and withdrew it so that the wicked may not enjoy it, neither in this world nor in the world to come. As for the righteous, "no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly", alluding to that primordial light which "God saw that it was good". Thus that light needed not to ascend and be raised aloft, but only to be disclosed and extended, unlike the other, which is of the "left". This accounts for the one being characterized by "of the waving" and not the other. Hence it simply says: "And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents."

'Observe this. The "right side" is ever present in the world to sustain it, and to afford it light [225a] and blessing. Hence the priest, inasmuch as he is of the "right side", is always in readiness to bless the people. For it is from the "right side" that all the blessings of the world do spring, and the priest takes by right the first share. The priest has thus been assigned to bless both the upper world and the lower. Observe that when the priest spreads his hands at the time he blesses the people, the Shekinah comes and hovers over him and endows him with power. [14] When blessing, the priest raises his right hand above the left, so as to cause the right to prevail over the left. All the grades over which he spreads his hands are thus blessed from the source of all things, from the well called "Righteous". The source of all is the "future world", the sublime source which illumines all faces, whence are kindled all lamps. It has a counterpart in the source and spring of the well whence all the lower lamps and the lower lights are kindled and radiate. So one corresponds to the other. Hence, when the priest spreads out his hands and begins to pronounce the blessing over the people, the celestial benedictions flowing from the celestial source at once kindle the lamps, all faces are illumined, and the Community of Israel is adorned with celestial crowns, and all those blessings flow down from on high to below.

'Observe, then, that Moses gave the instructions and Bezalel carried them out, the two being in the esoterical relation of body and final part of body, which is the holy covenant symbol. The Tabernacle was thereby made the centre of the increase of Love and Unity. And the whole was performed in the mystery of the "right side". Hence, wherever the "right side" dominates the Evil Eye has no power. We thus read, "And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation." [15] For that silver came from the right, and so all and everything were taken count of and numbered.'

R. Isaac put the following question to R. Simeon: 'Seeing that, as we have learnt, no blessing dwells in whatever is numbered or measured, why were all things connected with the Tabernacle made to be numbered?' R. Simeon replied: 'Wherever holiness abides, there, if the act of numbering proceeds from the side of holiness, blessing will abide continuously, and not pass away. This we learn from the tithe, which is a cause of blessing, the reason being that the act of counting is performed for a sacred purpose. How much more so, then, should that be with the Tabernacle, which was a sacred edifice and derived from the side of holiness! But it is not so with worldly matters, such as are not derived from the side of holiness; no blessing rests upon them if they are numbered. For then the "other side", that is, the Evil Eye, may obtain dominion over them; and wherever the Evil Eye rules there blessings cannot reach. Contrariwise, in holy affairs, through measuring and numbering blessings continuously increase. Hence, "And the silver of them that were counted of the congregation"; indeed, "counted", without fear of the Evil Eye, without fear of any evil consequences, as the blessings from above rested there upon all. Observe, likewise, that no evil eye had any power over the seed of Joseph, for the reason that Joseph came from the "right side", and this was the reason that the Tabernacle was made by Bezalel, who belonged to the same grade as Joseph, the grade exhibited in the purity of the holy covenant symbol.'

R. Abba and R. Aha and R. Jose were walking on the way from Tiberias to Sepphoris, when they caught sight of R. Eleazar, who was coming up in the company of R. Hiya. Said R. Abba: 'Truly, we are now going to have the company of the Shekinah.' They waited for them until they came up with them. Then R. Eleazar cited the verse: "The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry" (Ps. XXXIV, 16). 'This verse', he said, 'presents a difficulty. It cannot mean that God's providence cares for the righteous for to endow them with the goods of this world, since, indeed, we see so many righteous in this world who cannot procure even so much sustenance as would satisfy the ravens of the air. [225b] But there is a recondite meaning here. Observe that all beings of this world are known in the upper world, either to one side or to the other side. Those of the side of holiness are known to that side, whose watchful providence is ever towards them. Similarly those belonging to the side of defilement are known to that side, being under its continuous care. Now, when a man is under the care of the side of holiness, the "other side" will never come near him and is powerless to thrust him out of his place, or of whatever he is doing. Thus, "The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous", etc., so that the "other side" is powerless to obtain rule over him. Now, ' concluded R. Eleazar, 'the support of heaven is here with us, we are watched over from on high, and no power from the "other side", no evil thing, can rule over you.' Said R. Abba: 'Behold, we have learned that wherever the holy side hovers, there, despite its association with any act of numbering, blessings will never cease.' Said R. Eleazar: 'Assuredly it is so.' 'Now', rejoined R. Abba, 'behold, Israel is holy and comes from the side of holiness, as we read: "Israel is the Lord's hallowed portion" (Jer. II, 3); also, "ye shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev. XIX, 2). Why, then, when David took a census of Israel did death rage among the people, as Scripture says: "So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed" (2 Sam. XXII, 15)?' R. Eleazar said in reply: 'This was because he did not take from them shekels as a ransom in accordance with the injunction, "then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; and there be no plague among them when thou numberest them" (Ex. XXX, 12). For that which is holy should give a holy ransom, and that holy ransom was not taken from them at the time. Observe that Israel is holy and not meet for numbering, and hence a ransom had to be taken from them, and this could be numbered whilst they themselves were not to be numbered. For holiness is the essence of the highest of grades; and just as to that highest degree of holiness there is attached a lower degree [16] that admits of number and computation, so Israel, "the Lord's hallowed portion", have to give as ransom something of another degree of holiness, that admits of computation. Esoterically speaking, Israel is the tree that stands in the innermost. The ransom is of another kind of holiness, standing outside and admitting of computation. The latter is thus a shield to the former.'

The company then pursued their journey, and R. Eleazar began to discourse on the verse: "Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered" (Hos. II, 1). 'The comparison to the sand of the sea', he said, 'is of a twofold aspect. First, just as when the sea rages and its wave, hurl themselves forward to overwhelm the world, so soon as they encounter the sand of the shore their force is broken and they recede and rage no more, so the nations rage and fume and seek to overwhelm and flood the world; but when they behold Israel in close attachment to the Holy One, blessed be He, they recede, broken and powerless. Again, as the sand of the sea cannot be numbered or measured, so is Israel. Observe that there is somewhere a measuring hidden away and undisclosed, and similarly a hidden and undisclosed numbering, that measuring and that numbering upholding the upper world and the lower just because the basis of that measuring and of that numbering is beyond anyone's knowledge. This constitutes the all-in-all Divine Faith. Now, Israel on earth does not fall within the scope of number save through the side of something extraneous to themselves; thus it is their ransom that falls within the scope of number. Hence, when Israel are about to be numbered, [226a] a ransom has to be taken from them, as already said. Thus, when David took a census of Israel without having taken from them a ransom, wrath was provoked and there perished of Israel many hosts and legions. This, then, is the significance of the words, "And the silver of them that were counted of the congregation ... for every one that passed over to them that are numbered". It was all consecrated to the work of the Tabernacle. It has been stated that the talents represented one category of number, whilst the shekels represented another category. For there are higher existences who come within a superior kind of number; and there are others who belong to a lower kind.'

R. Eleazar further discoursed on the verse; "A song of ascents; of Solomon. Except the Lord build the house, thy labour is in vain", etc. (Ps. CXXVII, 1). 'This verse', he said, 'was uttered by Solomon at the time when, having begun to build the Temple he became aware that the work proceeded of itself, as it were, in the hands of the labourers. "Except the Lord", he thus said, "build the house", etc. This alludes to the statement that "In the beginning God created heaven and earth" (Gen. I, I), and tells us that the Holy One, blessed be He, created and garnished this world and fitted it out with all its requirements, thus making it a House. "They labour in vain that build it": this alludes to the streams that come forth and enter the House in order to furnish it with all its needs; try as they may, yet except the Lord of the supernal world make the House and put it in proper order, they labour in vain. "Except the Lord keep the city", etc. (Ibid.). This is in harmony with the verse: "The eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year" (Deut. XI, 12), indicating the providence by which it is guarded on all sides. And though it is also written, "Behold, it is the couch of Solomon; threescore mighty men are about it" (S.S. III, 7), all guarding it, this is "because of dread in the night" (Ibid. 8), to wit, the dread of Gehinnom that confronts it and tries to annihilate it. All thus are standing guard round about it. [17] When the Thought is illumined, it remains undisclosed and unknowable, but it forms a centre of energies and of expansion in all directions. One outcome of that expansion is the Supernal World, the world of interrogation, as it were, or of the Supreme Utterance, the world called "Who?", alluded to in "Lift up your eyes on high, and see: Who hath created these?", or in other words, the creative utterance, the Who?, created these; but subsequently it expanded and became the sea, symbolic of the lowest grade, and created a lower world after the pattern of the [226b] upper, the two being the counterparts of each other. Hence the guarding of the universe is from above downwards, that is, from the upper world which was formed by the expansion of the Thought. We thus understand the meaning of the passage, saying, "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman watcheth in vain", "the watchman" referring to the watchman of Israel, [18] since protection depends not on him but on the higher world. Note that the blue employed in the work of the Tabernacle symbolized the mystery of the upper world, the blue and the purple together symbolized the knitting together of the upper world and the lower.

AND OF THE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY AND FIVE SHEKELS HE MADE HOOKS FOR THE PILLARS, AND OVERLAID THEIR CAPITALS, ETC. We have learned that these shekels escaped the memory of Moses, and he could not recall what use he had made of them until a Voice went forth and declared: "And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars", etc. In this connection, R. Hizkiah began a discourse on the verse: "While the king sat at his table, my spikenard sent forth its fragrance" (S.S. I, 12). 'This', he said, 'is an allusion to the Holy One, blessed be He, at the time when He gave the Torah to Israel, when He came to Sinai accompanied by multitudes of holy legions and all the supernal holy beings. The Torah was then given in the midst of flaming fire, itself being written in white fire upon black fire, the letters floating aloft in the air. The first letter of the Torah divided itself into seven hundred and seventy-five parts facing in all directions, all of which were visible aloft in the air within the letter Vau, the letter which was traced out on every side of the world. These Vaus were upheld by pillars and the pillars were suspended by a miracle with all the Vaus on top of them. For the essence of the Torah is based on the Vau, and these Vaus, which constitute the mystery of the faith of the Torah, are all based on those pillars, which constitute in their turn the mysteries of the books of the Prophets. The supreme Vau is symbolic of the audible Voice, symbolic of the foundation of the Torah, for the Torah emerged from that inner Voice, called Great Voice, of which we read: "These words the Lord spake, etc., with a great voice, and it went on no more" (Deut. V, 22). Observe that that Great Voice is the root of all things, and is the essence of the Holy Divine Name. It is for this reason that it has been laid down that a man may not greet his friend before he has recited his prayer. This is the recondite significance of the verse: "He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him" (Prov. XXVII, 14); the prohibition only applies to a blessing that is joined with that which is emblematic of the "great voice", which is the main part of the Divine Name. The mystery of the Torah proceeds, then, from the Great Voice, which is identical with "the King", and "whilst the King sat at His table" alludes to the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. "My spikenard sent forth [227a] its fragrance" refers to the Community of Israel, who said: "All that the Lord hath spoken will we do, and obey" (Ex. XXIV, 7); by "the King" is meant the Most High King, as expounded.

'When the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to bring a flood on the world in order to destroy all flesh, He said to Noah: "It behoves thee to hide thyself, and not to be seen by the Destroyer lest he obtain dominion over thee and none will be able to shield thee." Subsequently, when the sacrifices brought by Noah were offered up, a fragrance was diffused in the world; but not so sweet as when, later on, Israel stood at Mount Sinai. Then the world was truly filled with a fragrance, and thus the Destroyer was no more to be seen. Indeed, the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to remove altogether the Destroyer from the world, when Israel, after the lapse of only a few days. committed a sin in making the Golden Calf; thus Scripture says: "And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb" (Ex. XXXIII. 6), "their ornaments" signifying the mysteries of the Divine Name with which the Holy One adorned them, but· which were now removed from them. The Destroyer thus regained power over the world, inflicting punishment over it. as before.' R. Jose said: 'At the flood. what was there for the Destroyer to do, seeing that it was the waters that prevailed? The fact is that no punishment is ever meted out to the world but the Destroyer is in the midst of it all, busying himself among the judgements executed. Likewise here, while the flood wrought havoc, the Destroyer went about in its midst. and indeed "Flood" was his name. The Holy One, blessed be He, thus admonished Noah to hide himself and not let himself be seen.'

AND OF THE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY AND FIVE SHEKELS HE MADE HOOKS (vavim) FOR THE PILLARS. R. Eleazar said: 'Why vavim (lit. Vaus)? Because the pillars were in the shape of the letter vau; the pillars were of silver. but their capitals were overlaid with gold. For every Vau is of the side of Mercy, and these were all known on high by number; and it is because they belonged to the side of Mercy that they are called Vavim (Vaus); and all besides depended on them. Now each Vau (vau-shaped pillar) consisted of both gold and silver (symbolic of Rigour and Mercy), and they were called "pillars", for the reason that they stood outside and underneath the Body.' Said R. Isaac: 'I was in doubt whether the work referred to in our verse was sacred or profane; for, indeed, there is ground for thinking that it speaks here of profane work from the occurrence of the word "thousand". which in the analogous passage, "Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand" (S.S. VIII, 12), undoubtedly speaks of mundane things.' R. Eleazar said in reply: 'Not so. If these shekels were profane, no Vavim (vau-shaped pillars) would have been made of them. Further (in the Song of Songs), it only mentions "the thousand", no more, whereas here it is written: "the thousand seven hundred seventy and five". Now, what is profane has no share in the side of holiness, but belongs entirely to the "other side", to that of impurity. Thereon is based the separation (habdalah) which we have to make between the holy and the profane. Yet, for all that and despite their separateness, the holy contains a particle [227b] of the "left side". Thus, "Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand", signifies the thousand days of unholiness, to wit, the days of Exile (galuth). A thousand days there are of holiness, and, correspondingly, a thousand days of the "other side". The Companions have thus in regard to this remarked that the days of Exile alluded to are a thousand years; and although Israel may continue in exile longer than a thousand years, yet that will only be an extension of those thousand years designated by the term "thousand days". Hence it has been declared that the term Solomon (Sh'lama = possessor of peace), in the whole of the Song of Songs, is divine, with the exception of this one which is profane. Now, "the thousand", in reference to the Tabernacle, alludes to things holy, all the works of the Tabernacle being holy; hence of these shekalim "he made hooks for the pillars". Observe that it has been laid down that the letter vau, as we have stated elsewhere, symbolizes Mercy, and so wherever it is joined to the Divine Name it indicates an exercise of Mercy. We read, for instance, "And the Lord (V-YHVH) caused to rain upon Sodom" (Gen. XIX, 24), preceded by, "And the Lord (V-YHVH) said, Shall I hide from Abraham ...?" (Ibid. XVIII, 17), indicating an exercise of Mercy and Rigour at one and the same time. This explains why, in the account of the Flood, the name Elohim (God) is used throughout, but never "and the Lord" (V-YHVH). [19]

'It is written, "While the king sat at his table"; to wit, in the blissful company of Upper Paradise, which receives its plenitude of beatitudes by an undisclosed channel, and then distributes it into certain brooks; "My spikenard sent forth its fragrance" is an allusion to the hinder sea, which created the lower world after the pattern of the upper, so that a sweet savour of the upper world was diffused and a supernal light radiated throughout. Observe that when the fragrance of that spikenard is wafted on high, it is accompanied by an embrace of love, and the spikenard ascends to attach itself above; and all the sacred Chariots emit a fragrance that is woven into a crown for their adornment. Those sacred Chariots are called "maidens of song", alluded to in "upon Alamoth (maidens) of song" (Ps. XLVI, 1), as well as in "and maidens without number". Of the same is written: "Is there any number of his armies" (Job XXV, 3).

HOOKS (vau-shaped tops) FOR THE PILLARS. The vau is symbolic of the male principle. All that exists and ascends with the dignity of anointing on high is of the male principle, which is typified by the vau, the symbol of heaven, which is male; whereas all below are called female. Hence all that proceed from the "left side" are of the side of the female; and it is they who have been appointed to preside over song, and continuously intone chants. This is indicated in "upon the Alamoth (maidens) of song". These come under the mystic symbolism of the letter he, and they bring forth many hosts after their kind through the mystic symbolism of the letter vau, the letter symbolic of the male principle upon whom falls the task of providing food for the female. Hence all those vavim (vaus) that Bezalel made over the pillars that represented the female principle. These spring from the mystery of the number thousand, which is a complete number, as well as seven hundred, also a complete number, and, further, from the number five and from seventy, all of which represent together one mystery. Thus, out of that mystery, and that number, he made the vavim (vaus); so all was made with a deep symbolism, and according to a certain calculation.' [228a]

AND THE BRASS OF THE WAVING WAS SEVENTY TALENTS. Said R. Judah: 'All this descends here below in the supernal image, containing the mystery of Faith. To the same pattern did Nebuchadnezzar make the image that he erected.' R. Jose said: 'It was not the image he made that was after the same pattern, but the image that he saw in his dream, an image made of gold, of silver and brass. Now, iron and clay were not worthy to enter into the work of the Tabernacle, but only those three metals. There is a recondite significance in the triad of metals. There were other materials that formed into tetrads, as the four fabrics consisting of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen, or the four rows of stones (in the breastplate).' R. Judah said: 'Some of them formed into threes, some into fours, some into twos, and again others were kept single. Nevertheless, an Order proper consists of a triad. [20] [228b]

'The world is divided between forty-five varieties of light, seven of which are assigned to the seven abysses. Each light impinges on its Abyss, where there is a great rolling of stones, and penetrates into and pierces those stones so that water issues from them. The light impinges on the four sides of the Abyss, and then each light becomes entwined with the next and they join together and divide the waters, and all the seven lights overwhelm the seven Abysses, and hover over the darkness of the Abysses so that the light and darkness intermingle. Then the waters rush up and down, and there is a fusion of light and darkness and waters, from which emerge lights in which darkness is not intermingled. The lights then impinge on each other, with the result that they split into seventy-five channels of the Abyss along which waters course. Each channel roars with a sound peculiar to itself, so that there is a quivering of all the Abysses. At the sound of the roaring each Abyss calls to its neighbour, saying: "Divide thy waters". Thus Scripture says: "Deep calleth unto deep at the voice of thy cataracts" (Ps. XLII, 8). Underneath these there are the three hundred and sixty-five veins, some white, some black, some red, all of which intertwine and fuse into one colour. These veins are woven into seventeen nets, each of which is called a net of veins, and descend to the nethermost parts of the Abyss. Underneath these there are two nets of the appearance of iron and another two nets of the appearance of brass. Over above them there are two thrones, one on the right and one on the left. All these nets join into one, and water flows from these channels and enters the nets. As for the two thrones, one is the throne of the black firmament and the other of the variegated firmament. When the nets ascend, they go by the way of the throne of the black firmament, and when they descend they go by the way of the throne of the variegated firmament. The throne of the black firmament is on the right, and the throne of the variegated firmament is on the left. When the nets ascend by the throne of the black firmament, the throne of the firmament of the left lowers itself, and they descend by it, as the two thrones balance one another. Thus all the nets descend by means of them and enter into the nethermost parts of the Abyss. Then one of the thrones rises above all the Abysses and the other throne lowers itself underneath all the Abysses. [229a] Between these two thrones whirl themselves all the Abysses, and all those channels are fixed between these two thrones. There are seventy-five channels, seven of which are higher than the rest, which, however, are attached to them, and all of them pass through the wheels of the two thrones on either side. Their waters course upwards and downwards. The downward-coursing waters form caves in the Abysses and cleave them asunder, while the upward-coursing waters enter into the caverns of the stones and continue rising until they fill them, which happens once in seven years. So far the seven varieties of lights with their profound symbolism.

'The "brass of waving", previously mentioned, represents the so-called "Brass-Mountains", and the "sockets of brass" represent the gates through which entrance is made to the King. Now of that brass were made all the ministering vessels of the altar. They are, indeed, ministers to the altar, because when the souls of men come up on the altar it is they that execute the service of the altar, and help it to perform its function, and hence they are named "vessels of the altar". All those "pins of the Tabernacle", and vessels, are specified by name as vessels of service, to serve in the Sanctuary. Hence they all stand as appointed chieftains and Chariot legions and heavenly spirits, each in its rank. They are, moreover, all numbered, their numbers being kept within certain Sacred Palaces. There is an interaction of gold and gold, silver and silver, brass and brass. The brass here below derives its power from the supernal brass, and so with the rest. Besides, all those varieties are interfused with each other, the clasps of gold binding together the curtains, the clasps of brass binding the Tabernacle, all being ranged opposite each other. Moreover, the clasps scintillated in the Tabernacle as the stars scintillate in the firmament, the fifty golden clasps and the fifty brazen clasps in rows facing each other. Also, out of the supernal light there was emitted a spark which penetrated within a dark speculum, that spark being a fusion of all colours of light and called "purple" (argaman). Then that "purple" impinged on that non-luminous light, causing it to emit another dull spark. The two were fused, and out of the fusion were formed the sacred robes in which Michael the High Priest was attired. When thus attired in these robes of glory he enters to minister in the Sanctuary, but not otherwise, just as we read of Moses that he "entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount" (Ex. XXIV, 18). We have learnt that Moses had first to attire himself in the cloud as in a robe, and only then could he go up into the mount, not otherwise. So the High Priest could not enter the Sanctuary unless robed in the priestly garments. And it is because they are emanations of the supernal mysteries, and are made after the supernal pattern, that they are called "residual garments" (bigde ha-s'rad), inasmuch as they were made of what has been left over of the supernal robes, of the residue of the ethereal celestial splendours, of the "blue" and "purple", the hues of the mystery of the Divine Name, called the Name Perfect, to wit, YHVH ELOHIM, as also of "scarlet red", thus comprising the colours, red, blue, and purple. Only thus clad could he enter into the innermost without being thrust out. All was made with a mystic significance, so that all things should bear the supernal pattern. Hence it is written: "The residual garments for ministering in the holy place" (Ibid. XXXIX, 41), for it is only when the supernal colours reside in them that Scripture says of them, "the holy garments [229b] are they" (Lev. XVI, 4.) Of Israel, also, Scripture says: "Israel is the Lord's hallowed portion, the first-fruits of the increase" (Jer. II, 3), thus calling Israel holy, for the reason that in Israel are to be seen all shades of colour, as displayed by Priests, Levites, and Israelites; and these are the colours which may be exhibited in the inner holy place.

'Observe that man's soul does not ascend to appear before the Holy King unless she is first worthy to be attired in the supernal raiment. Likewise, the soul does not descend into this world until clad in the garments of this world. Similarly, the holy heavenly angels, of whom it is written, "Who makest thy angels into winds and thy ministers into flaming fire" (Ps. CIV, 4), when they have to execute a message in this world do not come down to it before they clothe themselves in the garments of this world. The attire thus has always to be in harmony with the place visited; and the soul, as we have said, can only ascend when clad in ethereal raiment. Adam in the Garden of Eden was attired in supernal raiment, of celestial radiancy. As soon as he was driven from the Garden of Eden and had need of forms suited to this world, "the Lord God", Scripture says, "made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin ('or), and clothed them" (Gen. III, 21). Formerly they were garments of light ('or), to wit, of the celestial light in which Adam ministered in the Garden of Eden. For, inasmuch as it is the resplendency of the celestial light that ministers in the Garden of Eden, when first man entered into the Garden, the Holy One, blessed be He, clothed him first in the raiment of that light. Otherwise he could not have entered there. When driven out, however, he had need of other garments; hence "garments of skin". So here also "they made residual garments to minister in the holy place", so as to enable the wearer to enter the Sanctuary. Now, it has been already taught that a man's good deeds done in this world draw from the celestial resplendency of light a garment with which he may be invested when in the next world he comes to appear before the Holy One, blessed be He. Apparelled in that raiment, he is in a state of bliss and feasts his eyes on the radiant effulgence. So Scripture says: "To behold the graciousness of the Lord, and to visit early in his temple" (Ps. XXVII, 4). Man's soul is thus attired in the raiments of both worlds, the lower and the upper, thereby achieving perfection. Of this Scripture says: "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name"; to wit, in this world -- "The upright shall dwell in thy presence" (Ibid. CXL, 14); namely, in the other world.'

AND HE MADE THE EPHOD OF GOLD. Said R. Jose: 'The ephod and the breastplate were inseparable, and we have laid down that in that place are fixed the twelve stones which bear the names of the twelve sons of Israel, to which, in their turn, correspond to the twelve supernal divisions. [21] This recondite symbolism underlies the passage, "Whither the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, as a testimony unto Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord" (Ps. CXXII, 4). The reference here is to the twelve supernal tribes, they being the tribes of YH (the Lord), a name that is a testimony to Israel.' R. Hiya said: 'The term "tribes" is repeated here twice: first in allusion to the tribes here on earth, and secondly the supernal Tribes. "A testimony to Israel" bears esoteric reference to the supreme Divine Name that is called "testimony", of which Scripture says, "and my testimony that I shall teach them" (Ibid. CXXXII, 12). Now, these supernal twelve holy tribes were symbolized by the twelve sacred stones. For the twelve tribes below were the counterpart of those on high, and their names were all engraven on those stones, so that they were carried by the High Priest. When Jacob was on his way to Haran, Scripture says of him, "and he took some of the stones of the place, and put them under his head" (Gen. XXVIII, 11). These were the twelve sacred stones, which were made into one, as we read later, "and this stone" (Ibid. 22). All the twelve stones were absorbed in the one supreme sacred stone that is over them all, of which it is thus written, "and this stone [230a] which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house" (Ibid.). Hence the High Priest had to put them on his heart as a perpetual reminder of them, as Scripture says: "And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel ... upon his heart ... for a memorial before the Lord continually" (Ex. XXVIII, 29). In all this the number twelve is of recondite significance: there are twelve stones of a supernal order in the upper world, concealed in a profound and holy mystery. These form the essence of the Torah; proceeding from a small, still voice, [22] as said elsewhere. There is an order of another twelve hidden in a lower world, [23] after the pattern of the former, but which proceed from a different voice, designated Stone, as hinted in the words "from thence, from the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel" (Ibid. XLIX, 24). This is also the inner significance of the verse: "And thither were all the flocks gathered, and they rolled the stone ... and put the stone again ... in its place" (Ibid. XIX, 3). By the "stone" here is meant the Shekinah, called "tried stone", "the stone of Israel", which Israel roll along and take with them into exile, "and then put the stone again in its place". And so, after the name of the Shekinah all Israel are termed "stones". There are, moreover, stones and stones. There are stones which form the foundation of a house, of which Scripture says, "And the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with hewn stone" (I Kings v, 31); and there are precious supernal stones, to wit, those twelve stones. These are ranged in four orders, of three each, toward the four directions of the world. After the same pattern was the arrangement of the standards in the journey of the Israelites in the wilderness, where the twelve tribes were formed into groups of three each on each of the four cardinal points. Observe that when the High Priest was wearing the twelve stones fixed on the breastplate and the ephod, the Shekinah hovered over him. These twelve stones had engraved on them the names of the twelve tribes, each stone bearing the name of one of them. The letters were sunk, but when the stones shone they stood out and became luminous, spelling out what was required. Now, in all the names of the tribes the letters heth and teth were not to be found, for the reason that the tribes were without sin (HeT).' Said R. Hezekiah: 'This is reasonable as regards the heth, but not so in regard to the teth, since it is the initial of tob (good); and, further, we have learned that the letter teth seen in a dream is a good omen, since at the beginning of the Torah it is written, "And the Lord saw the light that it was good" (Gen. I, 4). Why, then, is that letter absent from the names of the tribes?' R. Hiya said in reply: 'It is because these two letters adjoin each other (in the alphabet), and, further, the teth is a letter hidden and withdrawn, as it is symbolic of the light that is above other lights, of the light of which it is written, "And the Lord saw the light that it was good". Hence it is the light of all the tribes together, and it could not be engraven on any of them. And, in addition, all the twelve tribes sprang from a certain undisclosed Apartment which is symbolized by the letter teth, and so, symbolizing as it does the undisclosed, this letter could not be made to be seen among them. Observe that all those stones possessed miraculous powers. Thus, when they became luminous, the face of the High Priest was likewise illumined, and at the same time the luminous letters stood out. The shining of the High Priest's face was a sign for all that the luminous letters were of a favourable significance; thereby it was known whether the High Priest was righteous or not.'

R. Abba was a frequent visitor to R. Simeon. He said to him once: 'In regard to the Urim and Thummim which were to be put in the breastplate (Ex. XXVIII, 30), we have learned that they were called Urim (= lights) because their words gave a clear and direct answer to the questions directed to them; and Thummim (tamim = perfect, complete) because their words were fulfilled to perfection. [24] Now, there seems to be something further to know in regard to this recondite subject.' Said R. Simeon: 'Assuredly so. Thus, the breastplate and the ephod correspond to the Urim and Thummim, and these again to the phylacteries (tefillin) and the knot of the phylacteries.' R. Simeon here cited the verse: "And thou shalt see my back, but my face shall not be seen" (Ibid. XXXIII, 23). 'That means', he said, 'that the Holy One, blessed be He, made Moses see the knot of the phylacteries, [25] but not the phylacteries themselves. "My face" points to the phylacteries that contain the sublime mystery of the Divine Name, [230b] whereas "my back" involves the mystery contained in the knot of the phylacteries. As is well known to the Companions, the former denotes the shining speculum, the latter the dull speculum. So correspondingly Urim signifies the words illuminated, whereas Thummim points to the words in their fulfilment. The same mystical correlation is found between "voice" and "speech": for voice illumines the speech to be uttered, whereas speech brings the word to completion, and the two are indissolubly fused one with each other. The breastplate and the ephod', he concluded, 'correspond thus respectively to the "face" and the "back", the two being one and inseparable.' Said R. Abba: 'If that is so, and if he who separates them is called "one who separateth between familiar friends" (Prov. XVI, 28), how are we to explain the verse: "And it came to pass, when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand" (I Sam. XXIII, 6), where the ephod is mentioned without the breastplate?' R. Simeon replied: 'The explanation assuredly is that the nearer a thing comes to the realm of the hidden and undisclosed, the less is it made mention of. So, contrariwise, what is nearer the realm of things revealed is to that degree more often mentioned, whereby the undisclosed is all the more covered, as it were. On the same principle, the Divine Name Sublime, the essence of the hidden and unrevealed, is never uttered, a name denoting the revealed being substituted for it. Thus the Name signifying the unrevealed is YHVH, but that signifying the revealed is ADNY (ADoNaY). The former is the way the Divine Name is written, the latter the way it is read. Thus it is throughout the Torah, which contains two sides: a disclosed and an undisclosed. And these two aspects are found in all things, both in this world and in the upper world.'

R. Simeon here adduced the verse: "Then said they unto him: Tell us, we pray thee, inasmuch as (ba'asher) thou art the cause that this evil is upon us, what is thine occupation? ... Then the men feared God exceedingly ..." (Jonah I, 8-16). 'There is much', he said, 'to ponder over in this text. For, indeed, the men put to him their question with deep wisdom. Thus they wished to find out whether Jonah was of the seed of Joseph, at the sight of whose coffin the sea straightway divided itself and became dry land. So Scripture says: "The sea saw and fled" (Ps. CXIV, 3); that is, it saw him of whom it is written, "and he fled and got him out" (Gen. XXXIX, 12), and at once "the Jordan turned backward" (Ps. Ibid.). The men thus used the expression "inasmuch as" (ba'ashet), thereby pointing to Joseph, who used a similar expression when he said, "inasmuch as thou art his wife" (Gen. XXXIX, 9); they thus said in effect, "If thou art of the seed of Joseph, pray that the sea may cease from its raging." They further used the expression "to whom?" (l'mi), an allusion to Jacob, in connection with whom it is written, "to whom belongest thou?" (Ibid. XXII, 17); they as much as said: "If thou art of the seed of Jacob who sent his message to Esau by holy angel messengers and in that way was saved from the calamity that threatened him, then pray to the Master that He may send His angel to save us from this calamity that threatens us, and if not" -- they further asked -- "What is thine occupation?" With what dost thou daily busy thyself? "and whence comest thou?" that is, Who were thy forefathers? "What is thy country?" Is it a country deserving punishment? Thus all the questions put by them had a good reason. "And he said unto them: I am a Hebrew, that is, from the seed of Abraham the Hebrew who sanctified the name of his master day by day; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven", etc. They put their questions, cloaking their real meaning, but he answered them without disguise. Scripture then continues: "Then were the men exceedingly afraid." It was the Divine Name they heard that made them fear; for they all were aware of the miracles and mighty deeds that the Holy One, blessed be He, wrought on the sea. He further told them that he fled from the presence of the Holy One, blessed be He, and they thus asked him: "What is this that thou hast done?" that is, Why hast thou transgressed thy Master's command? Note that all these men, after they saw the miracles and mighty deeds that the Holy One, blessed be He, wrought for Jonah on the sea, became proselytes. For they all saw Jonah fall into the sea, [231a] and the fish come up and swallow him; and then, when the same great fish emerged on the surface in the presence of them all and vomited him on dry land, they came up to him and declared themselves proselytes. This is borne out by the words of Jonah, saying: "They that regard lying vanities will forsake their own mercy" (Jonah II, 9). Observe, further, that they all became righteous proselytes and rose to be sages of the Law of the highest rank. For the Holy One, blessed be He, found delight in them, as in all those who come near to Him and sanctify His Name openly; for when His disclosed Name is sanctified, His. undisclosed Name ascends His Throne of Glory. So Scripture says, "but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel" (Lev. XXII, 32).'

AND THEY BOUND THE BREASTPLATE BY THE RINGS THEREOF UNTO THE RINGS OF THE EPHOD WITH A THREAD OF BLUE. Why blue? Because it is an all-uniting colour, and thus is symbolic of the supernal mystery. "A golden bell and a pomegranate ... and the sound thereof shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord" (Ex. XXVIII, 34-35); it was necessary for the sound to be heard so that blessings might rest on the world by reason of the blessing pronounced by the priest on all. The "pomegranate" is a symbol of plenty, on account of its multitude of seeds.

AND HE MADE THE ROBE OF THE EPHOD OF WOVEN WORK, ALL OF BLUE. The significance of the blue colour consists in its being a reflection of the light of the Divine Throne, a light which is one with the white light. Said R. Simeon: 'All the priestly robes were emblematic of the supernal mystery, having been made after the celestial pattern. It may here be asked: Seeing that Michael was the High Priest and belonged to the "right side", why is Gabriel referred to as "the man clothed in linen" (Dan. XII, 7), seeing that such robes could only be worn by the High Priest? But the truth is that the "left" is always embraced within the "right", and hence Gabriel (although of the left) was clothed in these robes. Furthermore, Gabriel is the messenger for this world, hence he had to put on the garments of this world. The same has already been explained in regard to the soul which, whilst in the upper world, has to put on heavenly garments, but in descending below assumes lowly garments. Observe that the "robe of the ephod" was to cover the ephod when he put in on. It is written: "Thou hast formed me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me" (Ps. CXXXIX, 4.). Observe that at the creation of Adam the Holy One, blessed be He, made him male and female together, female behind and male before. Then He sawed them asunder and tricked out the woman and brought her to Adam; and when they were thus brought face to face, love was multiplied in the world and they brought forth offspring, a thing that was not yet before. But when Adam and his wife sinned and the serpent had intercourse with Eve and injected into her his venom, she bore Cain, whose image was in part derived from on high and in part from the venom of the unclean and low side. Hence it was the Serpent who brought death into the world, in that it was his side that was the cause of it. It is the way of the serpent to lie in wait to slay, and thus the one that sprang from him followed the same course. So Scripture says: "And it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him" (Gen. IV, 8). We find it written in the Ancient Books that in the act of slaying Abel, Cain bit him repeatedly [231b] after the manner of the serpent, until he caused his soul to quit him. Abel was thus slain and his body resolved into its elements. Had not Cain been in part the offspring of the unclean side he would not have behaved so toward his brother. Adam, therefore, having seen Abel slain and Cain banished, said to himself: "Why henceforth should I bear children?" He then separated himself from his wife for a hundred and thirty years, during which period unclean female spirits conceived from him and bore spirits and demons, [26] so-called "plagues of the children of men" (2 Sam. VII, 14). After that, Adam became jealous, rejoined his wife and begat Seth as we read, "and [he] begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth" (Gen. V, 3); emphatically "in his own likeness, after his image", which did not happen before, that is, with the offspring born before that time. For previously intercourse with Adam was of another kind, but now the Holy One, blessed be He, brought Eve all beautified into the presence of Adam and they joined together face to face. Hence it is written, "this one shall be called woman" (Ibid. II, 23), to wit, this one and not any other. Observe that the ephod and breastplate were "behind and before", and so the Priest, when clothed in them, resembled the supernal pattern. As has already been said, when his face was illumined and the letters stood out brightly, then a message was thereby conveyed to him. For this reason the breastplate and the ephod were tied together; and although they had distinct functions, they had the same symbolism and were therefore united by the four rings that held them together, back and front. They thus symbolize the Chariots which are united from below to those above, and the whole symbolizes the Ofanim and Hayoth (Wheels and Sacred Beasts). It has already been explained that the verse, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth", means that the lower world was created after the pattern of the upper. Now, the Tabernacle below was likewise made after the pattern of the supernal Tabernacle in all its details. For the Tabernacle in all its works embraced all the works and achievements of the upper world and the lower, whereby the Shekinah was made to abide in the world, both in the higher spheres and the lower. Similarly, the Lower Paradise is made after the pattern of the Upper Paradise, and the latter contains all the varieties of forms and images to be found in the former. Hence the work of the Tabernacle, and that of heaven and earth, come under one and the same mystery. It is written: "Lift up your eyes on high, and see: who hath created these? He that bringeth out their hosts by number .... Not one faileth" (Isa. XL, 26). Are we to imagine from this that by lifting his eyes upwards a man can know and see what is not permitted to know and see? No. The true meaning of the passage is that whoever desires to reflect on and to obtain a knowledge of the works of the Holy One, blessed be He, let him lift his eyes upwards and gaze on the myriads of the hosts and legions of existences there, each different from the other, each mightier than the other. Then will he, while gazing, ask, "Who created these?" Indeed, as has already been expounded elsewhere, "Who created these?" amounts to saying that the whole of creation springs from a region that remains an everlasting "Who?" (Mi?), in that it remains undisclosed. "He that bringeth out their host by number", for inasmuch as that region is undisclosed it brings forth everything by means of the sound that issues from the trumpet, the sound that constitutes the "number" of all the celestial hosts and the sum of the whole of creation; and from thence also proceeds the mystery of sublime faith through all the supernal "sides", and then extending in grade after grade downwards, and widening out into numerous hosts after their kinds, all of whom are numbered, and "He calleth them all by name." The verse continues, "By the greatness of his might" -- an allusion to the "right side", "for that he is strong in power" -- alluding to the "left side", "no one faileth", this in allusion to the forces emanating from the two sides. [232a]. According to an alternative interpretation, the verse, "Lift up your eyes on high, and see: who hath created these?" contains an allusion to the erection and completion of the Tabernacle. For whoever then looked at the Tabernacle saw in it an epitome of the upper world and the lower; for all the works of the universe were contained in the equipment of the Tabernacle. Thus whoever gazed with attention at the clasps of the Tabernacle saw in their gleam the radiance of the stars, inasmuch as they were disposed in the same way as the stars in heaven.'

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:44 am

Part 3 of 4

R. Simeon discoursed on the verses: "Hallelujah. Praise ye the Lord from the heaven ... Praise him, ye heavens of heavens ... Praise the Lord from the earth .. ." (Ps. CXLVIII, 1-8). 'This psalm', he said, 'was indited by David in honour of the mystery of the Divine Name, which is the supreme object of praises. There are two all-embracing songs of praise: this one, and the one contained in the last psalm, commencing: "Hallelujah. Praise God in his sanctuary" (Ibid. CL. 1-6). The latter psalm, however, contains a tenfold praise, alluding to ten musical instruments, but this one is a sevenfold hymn. The two, nevertheless, dwell on one and the same mystery, that of the Divine Name. This one begins, "Praise ye the Lord from the heaven", inasmuch as the heaven was the starting-point of the six directions which expanded downwards from it. This is the limit within which it is permitted to man to investigate. So Scripture says: "For ask now of the days past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other" (Deut. IV, 32), that is, so far art thou permitted to ask and investigate; but beyond it is not permitted to inquire, that being a sphere hidden and undisclosed. Hence, "praise ye the Lord from the heaven, praise him in the heights", these constituting the two directions, right and left, whence there was an expanding of all the others downwards in the mystery of the grades, till the development was complete. "Praise ye him, all his angels": these are the two supports on which the Body rests. These are here indicated by the term "angels" because, as the legs are, as it were, the messengers of man, moving about from place to place, so are the angels the messengers moving from place to place in the service of their Master, executing His messages. "Praise ye him, all his hosts, " is an allusion to the region whence emanate all the supernal sacred hosts who are marked with the holy sign of the covenant. "Praise ye him, son and moon, praise ye him, all ye stars of light", to wit all the heavenly luminaries, stars and constellations. Now the Psalmist returns to the height of heights, the place by which all is held fast, saying: "Praise him, ye heavens of heavens"; then again he turns to the earth, saying, "Praise the Lord from the earth", etc. Observe that the stars of the lower world exist by the energy they attract to themselves from the supernal mystery, since the whole of existence is based on the supernal archetype, as said elsewhere. Hence all the supernal stars and constellations are entrusted with the guidance of the world beneath them; and from thence there evolve a series of grades upon grades reaching out to the lower stars. All these have no power of their own whatever, but are under the power of the supernal world. Hence the words of Scripture: "Let now the astrologers, the stargazers ... stand up and save thee" (Isa. XLVII, 13) indicating that the lower world is under the jurisdiction of the supernal world.'

AND THEY MADE THE TUNICS OF FINE LINEN (shesh) ... AND THE MITRE OF FINE LINEN (shesh), ETC. R. Jose, in exposition of this, cited the verse: "And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains", etc. (Isa. II, 2). 'That means', he said, 'that "in the end of days", when the Holy One, blessed be He, will visit the daughter of Jacob and raise her from the dust, when, further, the sun will be joined to the moon, then "the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established", to wit, Upper Jerusalem, which will be illumined by the radiation of the supernal light, which will then shine with sevenfold effulgence. So Scripture says: "Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days", etc. (Ibid. XX, 26). "On the top of the mountains" [232b] signifies the High Priest, who is the head of all, and symbolizes the "right side"; it is he who continuously beautifies the House, and by his benediction gives it a glad aspect. That House will thus be established and adorned by means of those robes made after the supernal pattern. The House being established by the "top of the mountains", that is, by the High Priest, will rear itself aloft, and merge its existence in the supernal realm, so that the world will be filled with an effulgence radiating from the light supernal; and so Scripture continues, "and [it] shall be exalted above the hills", to wit, above all the celestial hosts and legions, "and all nations shall flow into it". Observe this. When the priest here below spreads out his hands [to bless the people], a celestial light first emerges, then all the lamps are kindled, their lights radiating into each other and fusing into each other until the face of the Community of Israel is irradiated. All this comes to pass through the agency of the primordial light, which is the "High Priest". And the activity of the priest here below awakens a corresponding activity in the Priest on high. Thus "the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains ... and all the nations shall flow unto it". For, whereas now all the other nations have Chieftains in heaven to rule them, at that time the Holy One, blessed be He, will remove those Chieftains and depose them from their sovereignty, as we read, "the Lord will punish the host of the high heaven on high" (Ibid. XXIV, 21). And when all these are removed the Holy One alone, blessed be He, shall be acknowledged mighty, as Scripture says: "And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day" (Ibid. II, 11). And so the former passage continues: "And many peoples shall go and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob" (Ibid. 3). All this will come to pass when the High Priest, the "top of the mountains", shall illumine her, by the mystery of the number six (shesh), signifying the six directions of the world.'

R. Eleazar and R. Isaac and R. Judah were once walking together on the road. Said R. Eleazar: 'It is time we drew to ourselves the company of the Shekinah; this will only be if She hears from us words of the Torah.' R. Judah then remarked: 'Let the chief begin.' R. Eleazar then began to discourse on the verse: "I am small and despised, yet have I not forgotten thy precepts" (Ps. CXIX, 141). 'King David', he said, 'sometimes extols himself, saying, for instance, "and [He] whose mercy to his anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore" (Ibid. XVIII, 51); or, "The saying of David, the son of Jesse, and the saying of the man raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob" (2 Sam. XXIII, 1); and at other times he abases himself, saying, "for I am poor and needy" (Ps. LXXXVI, 1), or, as here: "I am small and despised." Now he also said of himself: "The stone which the builders rejected is become the chief corner-stone" (Ibid. CXVIII, 22). The truth is that when he found himself in peace and triumphant over his enemies, he extolled himself; but when he found himself oppressed and harassed by his enemies, he abased himself and called himself the poorest and the least of men. For at one time he would prevail over his enemies, and then he would again feel their pressure; but for all that he would always obtain dominion over them, and they were never able to discomfit him. Despite that, King David always humbled himself before the Holy One, blessed be He; for whoever abases himself before Him, He exalts above all other men. The Holy One, blessed be He, thus found David acceptable in this world and in the world to come -- in this world, as it says, "For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake" (Isa. XXXVII, 35); and in the future world, as it says, "and [they] shall seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall come trembling unto the Lord and to his goodness in the end of days" (Hos. III, 5). David, indeed, was king in this world and will be king in the time to come; hence "the stone the builders rejected is become the chief corner-stone". For, when the sun turns away his face from the moon, and does not shine upon her, she has no light whatever and so does not shine, but is poverty-stricken and dark on all sides; but when the sun turns towards her and radiates his light upon her, then her face is illumined and she adorns herself for him as a woman for a man. She thus is then invested [233a] with the dominion of the world. So David adorned himself after this very manner. Now he would appear poor and dejected, but then again he would be revelling in riches. Hence David's declaration, "I am small and despised, yet have I not forgotten thy precepts." It behoves, indeed, every man to follow this example and to humble himself in every respect so as to become a vessel in which the Holy One, blessed be He, may find delight. This lesson has also been expounded in connection with the phrase, "with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit' (Isa. LVII, 15).'

R. Eleazar then continued: 'It is written, "And he brought me thither, and behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate" (Ezek. XL, 3). Ezekiel saw in this prophetical vision a "man", but not "a man clothed in linen" (Dan. X, 5). For it is only when the angel is on an errand of severity that he is called "a man clothed in linen". Otherwise, he assumes various guises, appears in various attire conformably to the message he bears at the time being. Now, in the present vision "his appearance was like the appearance of brass", that is, he was clothed in the raiment formed of the "mountains of brass", and the "measuring reed" that he had in his hand was not the "Obscure Lamp" [27] of the hidden and treasured-up light, but it was formed out of a solidified part, as it were, of the residue of light left by the "Obscure Lamp", what time that light mounted up to the heights and became engraven within the scintillating and undisclosed brightness. The "measuring reed", therefore, is used for measuring the dimensions of the lower sphere. [28] Now, there is a "measuring reed" and a "measuring line". All the measurements of Ezekiel were by the measuring reed, whereas in the work of the Tabernacle all was measured by the measuring line. This is also used for the measuring of the dimensions of this world after the pattern of the "cord" (employed in Ezekiel's Temple), inasmuch as in the process of its extension a knot was formed at every cubit length, which length became the standard measure for the purpose, called ammah (cubit). That "measuring line" thus bears the name of "cubit"; and that explains the wording, "The length of each curtain was eight and twenty by the cubit (ba-amah), and the breadth of each curtain four by the cubit" (Ex. XXXVI, 9), the singular, " cubit", pointing to the fact that it was the cubit which measured on every side. Now this was a projection from the Supernal Lamp, the lower measurement being the counterpart of the higher. The miniature lower measurement embraces a thousand and five hundred facets, each facet expanding into twelve thousand cubits. Thus one cubit moved along, growing into a "measuring line", each cubit in its turn being newly revealed; and so it resulted in a length of eight-and-twenty "by the cubit" and a breadth of four "by the cubit". Hence the one cubit covered thirty-two spaces, symbolic of the thirty-two "Paths of Wisdom" that emanate from the supernal regions. Now the length (of the curtains) was formed into four sections of seven cubits each, the number seven expressing here the central mystical idea; similarly the thirty-two Paths are embraced within the seven, in their mystical symbolism of the Divine Name. So far in regard to this measurement, which was of a higher degree of holiness; for, indeed, there was another measured substance that was designed to be a covering to this, the external comprising the number thirty-four; whilst the internal was of the number thirty-two [233b], and, moreover, being of a higher degree of holiness, it contained the sacred colours enumerated in the passage, "of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet" (Ibid. 8). The same lesson is indicated in the words. "I went down into the garden of nuts" (8.S. VI, 11). For, as the nut has a shell surrounding and protecting the kernel inside, so it is with everything sacred: the sacred principle occupies the interior, whilst the "other side" encircles it on the exterior. This is the inward meaning of "the wicked doth surround the righteous" (Habakkuk I, 4). The same is indicated in the very name EGVZ (nut). [29] Observe that the exterior, the more it is enlarged the more worthless it becomes. As a mnemonic we have the sacrifices of the Feast of Tabernacles, the number of which goes on diminishing with the increase of days. We thus find the same here. Of the inner curtain it is written: "And thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains" (Ex. XXVI, I); whereas for the outer ones the number was "eleven curtains" (Ibid. 7). Furthermore, of the outer curtains it says, "The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits" (Ibid. 8), the two numbers amounting together to thirty-four, a number symbolic of the lowest depth of poverty; [30] whereas the corresponding number in the ten curtains was thirty-two, a smaller number, but symbolizing the sublime mystery of the Faith, or the Divine Name. The lower is thus the higher, and the higher the lower. The former constitutes the interior, the latter the exterior. Now the same "measuring-line" went on expanding and thus measured the boards, concerning which it is written: "And he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia-wood, standing up" (Ibid. XXXVI, 20). These symbolized the Seraphim, as indicated by the description "standing up", which is paralleled in "Seraphim were standing up" (Isa. VI, 2). Now, here it is written, "Ten cubits shall be the length of a board" (Ex. XXVI, 16), and not "ten by the cubit". This is because the boards represented the three triads with a single one hovering high above them. [31] The number eleven and a half [32] has its recondite significance in that the boards symbolized a striving upwards, but not yet reaching to the degree of the Ophanim, [33] the half being expressive of incompleteness. This concerns the mystery of the Holy Chariot, for the twenty boards divide themselves into ten on this side and ten on the other, denoting a reaching out to the height of the sublime Seraphim. Then there is a further ascent in the holy region, denoted by the "middle bar" (Ibid. XXVI, 28). There is also an inward significance in the twenty boards in that they embrace the number 230. [34] The value of each prescribed measure has here its proper meaning. The curtains of the Tabernacle mentioned before stand for sublime mysteries, namely, the mystery of heaven, regarding which Scripture says: "Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain" (Ps. CIV, 2). Now, of the two sets of curtains, the one expresses one aspect of the mystery whilst the other expresses another aspect of the same mystery. The whole is designed to teach us Wisdom in all its aspects and all its manifestations; and so that man may discern between good and evil, between what Wisdom teaches and what it rejects. The mystery of the basic measurement, as elsewhere laid down, embraces various objects. The Ark in its dimensions falls within the same recondite principle, in respect of what it received and what it possesses of its own. [234a] We thus read: "two cubits and a half was the length of it" (Ex. XXXVII, 1). The one cubit on either side tells us about the Ark being the recipient from this side and from that side; whilst the half cubit in the centre represents what it had possessed of its own; and the same is indicated by the cubit and a half of its breadth and a cubit and a half of its height: each cubit speaks of what accrued to it, and each half of what is possessed already. For there must needs be something for something else to rest on, and hence the existing half in every account. There is a further recondite significance in that the Ark was inlaid with gold inside and outside so as to have its dimensions formed after the archetypal plan. The table was similarly measured by this archetypal scale. The dimensions of the Ark, however, were not used elsewhere, for reasons revealed to the wise. Similarly, all the other works of the Tabernacle were measured by the same cubit, with the exception of the breastplate, which was measured by the span. Now observe this. The tunic embraced the mystery of the "six" (shesh) [35] in that it symbolized the vesture designed for the setting right and investiture of all that comes within the "six" (directions of the world). So far the recondite significance of the "measuring-line". In the vision of Ezekiel, however, we find instead the "measuring-reed", for the reason that the House which he beheld was destined to remain forever in its place with the same walls, the same lines, the same entrances, the same doors, every part in accordance with prescribed measure. But in regard to the time to come, Scripture says: "And the side-chambers were broader as they wound higher and higher" (Ezek. XLI, 7). For immediately the building will be begun that "measuring-reed" will mount higher and higher in the length and in the breadth, so that the House will be extended on all sides, and no malign influence shall ever light on it. For at that time Severity will no more be found in the world; hence everything will remain firmly and immovably established, as Scripture says, "and [they will] be disquieted no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more", etc. (2 Sam. VII, 10). And observe that all these measurements prescribed for this world had for their object the establishment of this world after the pattern of the upper world, so that the two should be knit together into one mystery. At the destined time, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will bestir Himself to renew the world, all the world will be found to express one mystery, and the glory of the Almighty will then be over all, in fulfilment of the verse, "In that day shall the Lord be one, and his name one" (Zech. XIV, 9).'

R. Judah followed with a discourse on the verse: "The counsel (sod) of the Lord is with them that fear him; and his covenant to make them know it" (Ps. XXV, 14). '"The counsel" (sod),' [36] he said, 'alludes to the sublime mystical knowledge which remains hidden and undisclosed save for those that fear the Lord continuously and thus prove themselves worthy of these secrets and able to keep them. Observe that the world has been made and established by an engraving of forty-two letters, all of which are the adornment of the Divine Name. These letters combined and soared aloft and dived downwards, forming themselves into crowns in the four directions of the world, so that it might endure. They then went forth and created the upper world and the lower, the world of unification and the world of division. In the latter they are called "mountains of separation" (bather) (8.8. II, 17). which are watered when the south side begins to come near [234b] them. The water flows with supernal energy and with ecstatic joy. Whilst the Thought mounts up with exulting joy out of the most Undisclosed One, there flows out of it a spark: the two then come into contact with each other, as explained elsewhere. [37] These forty-two letters thus constitute the supernal mystical principle; by them were created the upper and the lower worlds, and they indeed constitute the basis and recondite significance of all the worlds. Thus is explained the verse, "The secret of the Lord is to them that fear him; and his covenant to make them know it", the first part alluding to the undisclosed engraven letters, whereas the latter speaks of the revealed. Now, it is written: "And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgement the Urim and the Thummim" (Ex. XXVIII, 30). The term "Urim" (lit. light, illumination) signifies the luminous speculum, which consisted of the engravure of the Divine Name composed of forty-two letters by which the world was created; whereas the Thummim consisted of the non-luminous speculum made of the Divine Name as manifested in the twenty-two letters. The combination of the two is thus called Urim and Thummim. Observe that by the power of these sunken letters were the other letters, namely, the raised letters forming the names of the tribes, now illumined, now darkened. The letters of the Divine Name embrace the mystery of the Torah, and all the worlds are a projection of the mystery of those letters. The Torah begins with a Beth followed by an Aleph, [38] indicating thereby that the world was created by the power of these letters, .the Beth symbolizing the female principle and the Aleph the male principle, and both engendering, as it were, the group of the twenty-two letters. Thus we read, "In the beginning God created the (eth) heaven and the (eth) earth" (Gen. I, 1), where the particle eth (consisting of Aleph and Tau) is a summary of the twenty-two letters by which the earth is nourished. [39] Now, the same letters were the instruments used in the building of the Tabernacle. This work was carried out by Bezalel for the reason that, as his very name (Bezel-El=in the shadow of God) implies, he had a knowledge of the various permutations of the letters, by the power of which heaven and earth were created. Without such knowledge Bezalel could not have accomplished the work of the Tabernacle; for, inasmuch as the celestial Tabernacle was made in all its parts by the mystical power of those letters, the lower Tabernacle could only be prepared by the power of the same letters. Bezalel was skilled in the various permutations of the Divine Name, and for each several part he employed the appropriate permutation of the letters. But when it came to the rearing up of the Tabernacle it was beyond his power, for the reason that the disposition of those letter-groups was entrusted to Moses alone, and hence [235a] it was by Moses that the Tabernacle was erected. So Scripture says: "And Moses reared up ... and [he] laid ... and put in ... " (Ex. XL, 18) -- Moses, but not Bezalel.'

R. Isaac then followed with a discourse on the verses : "O Lord, in thy strength the king rejoiceth; and in thy salvation how greatly doth he exult! Thou hast given him his heart's desire ... he asked life of thee, thou gavest it to him, even length of days for ever and ever" (Ps. XXI, 2-S). He said: 'David intended in this psalm to sing the praises of the Community of Israel by pointing out that the Holy One, blessed be He, is gladdened by means of the Torah, which is called "strength", as it is written, "The Lord will give strength unto the people" (Ibid. XXI, 11). The "king" in this verse refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, and the salvation mentioned is that of the Right. The verse continues: "He asked life of thee, thou gavest it to him, even length of days for ever and ever". From here we learn that King David was not endowed with any life-duration at all of his own, but it was Adam who made him a gift of a portion of his life, consisting of seventy years. [40] He thus attained length of life, both in this world and in the world to come. "His glory is great", because the Holy One, blessed be He, is the greater of "the two great lights" (Gen. I, 16), but only "through thy salvation". The Psalm continues: "For thou makest him most blessed (lit. blessings) for ever; thou makest him glad with joy in thy presence" (Ibid. XXI, 7), because He is the blessing of the whole world, the source of all blessing; similarly, it was said to Abram, "and be thou a blessing" (Gen. XII, 2): "Thou wilt make him glad with joy"; this refers to the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise the Community of Israel from the dust and renew Her with the renewal of the moon in joy; "in thy presence", to wit, to abide joyfully in Thy presence, in the perfection which She will achieve in that time. For when the Sanctuary was destroyed it was emptied of all its fulness, as we read: "She that hath borne seven languisheth" (Jer. XV, 9), also, "I shall be filled with her that is laid waste" (Ezek. XXVI, 2). [41]

'Observe that when Moses was about to rear up the Tabernacle, he first surveyed each several part to see if it had been made properly, and only then did he rear it up; the several parts were one by one brought to him, this being the recondite idea of the verse, "the virgins her companions in her train being brought unto thee" (Ps. XLV, 15). So Scripture says: AND THEY BROUGHT THE TABERNACLE UNTO MOSES. They brought it to Moses as the time had come for his espousals; just as the bride is first brought to the bridegroom and then he enters unto her; 80 first they "brought the Tabernacle unto Moses" and then he entered into the tent of meeting. Indeed, it is written: AND MOSES WAS NOT ABLE TO ENTER INTO THE TENT OF MEETING, BECAUSE THE CLOUD ABODE THEREON, for the reason that S~ was then arraying herself in Her finery as a woman tires and bedecks herself to receive her husband; and at such a moment it is unseemly for the husband to enter unto her. Thus "Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting ...", and they had to bring "the Tabernacle unto Moses". [235b] Observe that throughout all the works about the Tabernacle the colour of blue was to playa part, as that colour summarized in its adornment the recondite significance of all the colours. Scripture thus says: AND THEY MADE THE PLATE OF THE HOLY CROWN OF PURE GOLD ... AND THEY TIED UNTO IT A THREAD OF BLUE.

'The Tabernacle, in its recondite significance, reflected the supernal mysteries comprised within the Divine Name ADNY. The same significance is reflected by the Ark, of which it is written: "Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord (ADN) of all the earth" (Jos. III, 11), the term ADN being identical with the Divine Name ADNY. The name ADNY corresponds to the most sublime Divine Name YHVH, the Aleph of the one containing the same recondite meaning as the Yod of the other, the Daleth of the one corresponding to the Hi of the other, and so with the Nun and Vau, the Nun being emblematic of the male principle and the Vau of the female principle, but the two forming a complete whole; and so, too, with the Yod of the one and the He of the other. The several letters of the two Names, moreover, imply each other, complement each other, and together enfold one mystery. Now, the lower and earthly Tabernacle was the counterpart of the upper Tabernacle, whilst the latter in its turn is the counterpart of a higher Tabernacle, the most high of all. All of them, however, are implied within each other and form one complete whole, as it says: "that the tabernacle may be one whole" (Ex. XXVI, 6). The Tabernacle was erected by Moses, he alone being allowed to raise it up, as only a husband may raise up his wife. With the erection of the lower Tabernacle there was erected another Tabernacle on high. This is indicated in the words "the tabernacle was reared up (hukam)" (Ex. XL, 17), reared up, that is, by the hand of no man, but as out of the supernal undisclosed mystery in response to the mystical force indwelling in Moses that it might be perfected with him. It is written above: "And all the wise men that wrought [236a] all the work of the sanctuary came", etc'. (Ibid. XXXVI, 4). The "wise men that wrought" embrace the "right", the "left", and all the other sides constituting the ways and paths that lead into the sea and fill it. These wrought the supernal Tabernacle and perfected it. Likewise, the lower Tabernacle was wrought by Bezalel and Oholiab, the one of the right, the other of the left, followed by "every wise-hearted man", all after the supernal pattern. On the day the Tabernacle was reared up death was removed from the world, that is, it was deprived of its dominion over the world. For, indeed, the entire extinction of the evil impulse will not come to pass until the coming of King Messiah, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will rejoice in His works and "he will swallow up death for ever" (Isa. xxv, 8). Yet when the Tabernacle was reared up by the hand of Moses the power of the evil impulse was subdued so that it could not exercise dominion. At that time the power of Samael, the wielder of the fury of the "left side", was removed from the evil serpent, so that the latter was not able to dominate the world or attach himself to man and lead him astray: R. Judah said: 'It is written: "And Moses used to take the tent and pitch it without the camp" (Ex. XXXIII, 7). The reason of this was that Moses did not wish that the "holy side" should rest in the midst of the side of defilement: Said R. Eleazar: 'So long as the "holy side" rules, the side of defilement is powerless and bows before it. So we have learnt that 80 long as Jerusalem is in its fulness wicked, Tyre remains devastated.' [42]

R. Eleazar said: 'It is written: "And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel" (Gen. XXIV, 64). What is the significance of this verse that it should be written in the Torah? Is it merely to tell us that the sight of Isaac's good looks made her alight from the camel? The truth is that this verse contains a recondite meaning. Observe that when Rebekah encountered Isaac it was the time of Minha (afternoon prayer), a time when Rigour is at large in the world, and she discerned him as one who was of the region of fierce Rigour, a region symbolized by the camel (gamal), [43] and hence she leaned and slipped off that camel. This camel is all-devouring and all-exterminating, is always ready to inflict death on man. Hence, whenever a man sees a camel in his dream it signifies that death was decreed upon him, but he was delivered. Observe that the side of defilement is so designated by reason of it having brought death into the world. The same it was that seduced Adam and his wife, and Samael is the one that rides on it and leads the world astray, and brings about the death of every one. It was Adam who first drew him to himself, so that he became their seducer. Of this Solomon said, "and come not nigh the door of her house" (Prov. V, 8), for whoever comes nigh her house, she emerges, attaches herself, and is drawn unto him. Thus when Rebekah discerned Isaac as being of the side of Rigour, the side of the dross of gold, she straightway alighted from the camel so as to break herself loose from the Rigour and the dross. Observe [236b] that when the Israelites committed the sin of the Golden Calf there was no reason why they should have made a calf rather than anything else of the evil side. But, indeed, they did not choose the Calf, but merely said: "Up, make us a god who shall go before us" (Ex. XXXII, 1); and Aaron intended to delay them. But the Calf was the appropriate form. For from the side of gold there emerged the dross, out of which spread in all directions all the forces of the "left side". All these forces have the red colour of gold, and are under the influence of the sun. For when the sun reaches his full strength he generates gold in the earth; and the Chieftain ruling under the force of the sun has the appearance of a calf, and is described as "the destruction (keteb) that wasteth at noonday" (Ps. XCI, 6). The red side, the defiled spirit, is the same as the Evil Serpent. On him there rides a male-female being, called eleh (these), so called for the reason that they appear everywhere in various guises. On the opposite side is the Holy Spirit, called zoth (this), [44] pointing to the emblem of the holy covenant which is always found on man. The others, however, are called "these", wherefore it is written "yea, these [45] may forget, yet will not I forget thee" (Isa. XLIX, 15). The same is alluded to in "For these things I weep" (Lam. I, 16), inasmuch as that sin was the cause of many weepings for Israel. Alternately, "For these I weep", to wit, for the dark forces of that region to whom was given the licence to dominate over Israel and to destroy the Sanctuary. "These" (eleh) points thus to the powers of the unclean-side, and "I weep" points to the Holy Spirit, who is named "I". One might indeed urge against this, citing the words: "These (eleh) are the words of the covenant" (Deut. XXVIII, 69). [46] But in truth, even here the word eleh (these) points to the curses awaiting him who will transgress "the words of the covenant". Similarly, in the passage, "These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses" (Lev. XXVII, 34), the word "these" is a warning to man to purify himself by the observance of the precepts of the Torah and not to stray from the right path, but to keep afar from the evil powers. As regards "These are the generations of Noah" (Gen. VI, 9), the word eleh (these) is assuredly appropriate there, inasmuch as Noah begat Ham, the father of Canaan, in regard to whom it is written, "Cursed be Canaan" (Ibid. IX, 25). This, then, is the esoteric implication of eleh (these), pointing in our text to the dross and refuse of the gold. Now Aaron offered up the gold because he was of the side of fire, and gold is under the influence of the force of fire, the two being, as it were, one. The Unclean Spirit, whose haunting place is the desert, thus found at that moment an occasion to seize hold of him; and so, whereas Israel standing at Mount Sinai were purged of the primitive venom that the evil spirit injected into the world, thereby bringing death to all mankind, now the same evil spirit defiled them anew, took hold of them and brought again death to them and to all mankind and for all their generations to follow. Scripture so says: "I said: Ye are godlike beings.... But ye shall dif, like men", etc. (Ps. LXXXII, 6-7). Aaron therefore had to purge himself afterwards during the seven sacred days, [47] and after that by means of a calf. [48] Observe that Aaron had to purge himself, for but for him the calf would not have emerged. For Aaron belonged to the "right side", he symbolized the strength of the sun, the source whence gold originates; and so the unclean spirit came down and insinuated itself, with the result that the Israelites were defiled, and Aaron also. Aaron was defiled through the emergence of the calf that belongs to the left side, as it says: [237a] "and the face of the ox on the left side" (Ezek. I, 10). Thus, though Aaron was of the "right side", the "left side" was there in absorption, the side that gave occasion for the calf. In this way the unclean spirit prevailed and regained his former rule over the world. For Israel, through their sin, drew to themselves the evil impulse as formerly. And in order to purge themselves they needed to offer up a goat, inasmuch as the goat is the portion of the evil impulse, that is, the unclean spirit, as already said. It is written: "And they exchanged their glory for the likeness of an ox that eateth grass" (Ps. CVI, 20). This is an allusion to the calf that came from the "left side". "Their glory" signifies the Shekinah that led the way before them, but which they exchanged for something unclean. Thus will the slimy venom not pass out of the world until the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, will remove it, as it says: "and I will cause the unclean spirit to pass out of the earth" (Zech. XIII, 7).

'Now some sorcerers succeed in their art and others do not succeed, although they use the same practices, since the success of sorcery depends on the man himself. We have an example in Balaam, who was the very man for such arts, he being, as tradition tells us, blind in one eye, [49] and looking askance with the other. But of those who have to serve with the holy spirit it is written: "For whatsoever he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man or a lame" (Lev. XXI, 18). So here the way was paved for the unclean spirit to enter and obtain dominion. It found a desert utterly uninhabitable, as it is written, "wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions", etc. (Deut. VIII, 15), a spot that belongs to his dominion, and that contained gold enough for his use. It also found in Aaron a medium through which to insinuate itself into the "right" side. Thus the place being in all ways suitable it emerged into the open, and the deed was done. So when Aaron wished to become purged, he offered up a calf so as to execute judgement, as it were, on the "evil side". Whereas before he brought forth the Calf to make it ruler, he afterwards offered up a calf in order to subdue the evil power, for once punishment is executed on the "left side" all the subordinate rulers of that side are subdued. In regard to this, Scripture says: "Eat not of it raw ... but roast with fire, its head on its legs" (Ex. XII, 8), so as to break the evil power and subdue it, and so that all its subordinates should no more exercise rule. Similarly we read: "a red heifer, faultless", etc. (Num. XIX, 2). This had the same object, namely, to subdue all those sides of the unclean spirit.' Said R. Abba to R. Eleazar: 'But is not the heifer sacred and purifying? and how can this be?' R. Eleazar replied: 'Indeed, it is so. It has been expounded that it was an epitome of the four Kingdoms. [50] Thus, the "heifer" is Israel, of whom it is written, "For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn heifer" (Hos. IV, 16); "a red [heifer]" indicates the Kingdom of Babylonia, regarding which it says, "thou art the head of gold" (Dan. II, 38); "faultless" points to the Kingdom of Media; [51] and "wherein is no blemish" indicates the Kingdom of Greece (who were near the true faith). "Upon which never came yoke" alludes to the Kingdom of Edom, [52] which was never under the yoke of any other power. It is written: "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one" (Job. XIV, 4). [237b] The heifer is such a thing; for first it was an unclean thing, [53] but after judgement had been executed on her, after she had passed through the fire and was burned to ashes, she was transformed into a purifying agency. Hence all those who busied themselves with it became defiled, and even after it turned into ashes, before these were gathered and removed, it defiled all who handled them, as we read: "And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean", etc. (Num. XIX, 10). But as soon as water was poured over the ashes they became clean -- a clean thing out of an unclean. After the clean had emerged out of the unclean, whatever was allied to the unclean spirit fled. So now the Holy Spirit obtained dominion, and the unclean spirit was subjugated utterly. The latter received its punishment without the camp in harmony with the precept, "therefore shall thy camp be holy" (Deut. XXIII, 15).' R. Abba then approached and kissed R. Eleazar.

Said R. Simeon: 'All this is true, yet nevertheless the Holy One, blessed be He, has conferred power on the unclean spirit and it behoves man to subjugate him from all directions. Now I am about to reveal to you', he said, 'a mystery which is only permitted to be revealed to the superior saints. The Holy One, blessed be He, has conferred power upon the place which is the unclean spirit to have dominion over the world in many ways and to be enabled to inflict harm; we thus dare not treat him lightly, but we have to be on our guard against him lest he indict us, even in our holy actions. We have, therefore, a secret device, namely, to assign him a little space within our holy performances, since it is out of the source of holiness that he derives his power. Hence we are required to enclose inside the phylacteries a hair of a calf with one end jutting out and exposed to sight. This hair is incapable of communicating defilement, since it is smaller than a barley grain. [54] Now, when the unclean spirit beholds this hair that is within the supremely holy, and thus finds that he has a portion therein, he will abstain from assailing the wearer and will be powerless to inflict evil on him, whether on high or below. Whereas if nothing is given him within what is holy he brings accusations, saying, that-and-that man who at the moment makes himself holy has done such-and-such a deed on such-and-such a day, and these-and-these are the sins he committed; so that the man will thus be brought to judgement and be punished. The Israelites, who were aware of this secret, used to adopt a similar device when they began to sanctify themselves on the Day of Atonement; they at once made provision for assigning the unclean spirit his portion, so that he should not accuse them nor bring to notice the sins of Israel. For when he presents himself to bring accusations against Israel, ever so many bands and hosts stand there ready to take up his word. Happy is the portion of him who is able to be on his guard so that his sins should not be brought to notice on high, and so that he should not be regarded with disfavour.' Meanwhile tears began to flow from R. Abba's eyes. Said R. Eleazar to him: "Abba, Abba, unloose thy girdle, and wipe the tears from thy face, inasmuch as the mystic doctrines of the Torah were entrusted to the righteous, as it is written: "The secret (sod) [55] of the Lord is for them that fear him" (Ps. XXV, 14).'

Observe that on New Year's Day the world is brought to trial before the holy Judgement Seat; and there stands on one side the evil spirit who regards intently and makes a record of all those that are doomed to death. But at the moment [238a] that Israel awakens mercy by means of the sound of the trumpet (shofar) he becomes altogether confused and distracted, and turns his gaze away from the doomed ones. This continues until some time after. [56] Then all those under decree of death who have not repented of their sins are delivered into the hands of the evil power under a final order of death, which order is irrevocable. The whole of Israel together have thus to be on guard against him, and how much more so one who is by himself. We have thus to assign him at every New Moon a he-goat as his portion, so that he will abstain from acting as accuser. The sacred moon will thus draw sustenance in holiness and be fittingly renewed. The moon being renewed every month is thus called "na'ar" (youth), but the opposite force, which is forever immersed in defilement, is called "old and foolish king" (Eccles. IV, 13). Thus for holy Israel, the one nation united to God in holiness, the Holy One, blessed be He, has provided a means of escape from all the evil powers. Happy are they in this world and in the world to come. So Scripture says: "Thy people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land for ever; the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, wherein I glory" (Isa. LX, 21).

'AND THEY BROUGHT THE TABERNACLE UNTO MOSES, ETC. It is written: "And above the firmament" (Ezek. 1, 26). This alludes to the firmament that is placed over the four Hayoth (Holy Animals) who are impinged on by the spirit of the Hayah (Holy Animal), by whose spirit they all rise aloft, as it says: "and when the Hayoth were lifted up from the earth, the Ofanim (Wheels) were lifted up beside them, for the spirit of the Hayah was in the Ofanim" (Ibid. I, 21). It is when the space of that region, as it were, impinges on them that the four Hayoth rise and carry aloft the superior Hayah, bringing it to the Supernal Illumination. This is esoterically alluded to in the words, "The virgins her companions in her train being brought unto thee" (Ps. XLV, 15). the four Hayoth being so designated. These raise the Supernal Hayah higher and higher so as to uphold the Supernal Throne, as esoterically indicated in the words, "and [they] bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth" (Gen. VII, 17). The same allusion can be found in the words, "And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses", Moses being a synonym of Adam. The Tabernacle is symbolic of all the members of the Body when suffused with a holy desire for the union of the male and female principles. So "they brought the tabernacle", since the bride is first to be brought to her spouse, who subsequently takes up his abode with her permanently.

'Again, the words, "And they brought the tabernacle to Moses" are an allusion to those who daily concentrate their minds [whilst reciting their prayers] on the mysteries of the divine unification, and lift up this throne until they bring it unto "Moses". Thereby they draw unto themselves blessings from the very source of life. Of this Scripture says: AND MOSES SAW ALL THE WORK... . AND MOSES BLESSED THEM, the blessings thus flowing from the region that is of the grade of Moses. Thus the prayer of every man is scrutinized, whether it is recited with the proper concentration on divine unification; [238b] and if it is found to be so, then the man receives blessings from the fount of blessings. Thus, so soon as "they had done it, etc." "Moses blessed them", AND THEY BROUGHT THE TABERNACLE TO MOSES, inasmuch as he was the "master of the house", whom it behoved to supervise its arrangements and mysteries, which none else was permitted to observe and look upon. When they brought the tabernacle to Moses, they brought it in all its parts, each part to be fitted in its place, and all the parts to be joined together to form a whole. For when they attempted to do so themselves, they did not succeed; so they brought it to Moses, who straightway succeeded in joining the parts together, putting each in its place. So we read, "and Moses reared up the tabernacle", and also, "the tabernacle was reared up".

'Observe that when Moses was about to set up the tabernacle and to adjust all its parts and members, fitting them one into the other, all the components of the unclean, or "other" side, became enfeebled. For when the one side, the side of holiness, ascends in power, the unclean side relaxes, and similarly, when the other side ascends this side becomes feeble. When one is full the other is desolate, as with Jerusalem and Tyre. [57] Moses thus "reared up the tabernacle" so as to be fortified by the supernal power and not be overcome by the lower power. Moses, moreover, whose vision was through the "luminous glass", was the one needed for the rearing up of the tabernacle, that he might be enlightened by it and not by some inferior light, just as the moon must receive its light from the sun and not from any other source.

'Observe now, that the Community of Israel had to raise and attach itself to the sun.' In this connection R. Simeon expounded thus the verse: "This is the law of the burnt-offering ('olah); it is that which goes up ... " (Lev. VI, 2). 'The burnt-offering symbolizes the ascent of the Community of Israel and her attachment [to the Holy One] within the World-to-come, so as to form a unity, and therefore She is called 'olah (ascending). It is thus written: "This is the law (Torah) of the burnt-offering ('olah)", to wit, the Written Law and the Oral Law, the two representing the unity of the male and female principles. She is called "the 'olah" because she ascends to the World-to-come, designated the holy of holies. Similarly, the burnt-offering ('olah) is holy of holies, and therefore it is killed northward [of the altar], since it is of the left side in that the Oral Law is not embraced save when the north side is awakened, as it says: "Let his left hand be under my head, and his right hand embrace me" (S.S. 11, 6). The Oral Law then goes up in love, is entwined in the right and attached in the midst, and the whole becomes illumined from the esoteric source of the Holy of Holies, under the beneficent influence of the service of the priests, the song of the Levites, and the prayer of Israel.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:44 am

Part 4 of 4

'As already said, the burnt-offering, the most holy grade of offerings, is the emblem of the supernal spirit. For there are three spirits knit together: the lower spirit, designated the Holy Spirit; the intermediate spirit, called "spirit of wisdom and understanding", a name also borne by the lower spirit. But the spirit that proceeds out of the trumpet and is composed of fire and water is called "supernal spirit", since it is hidden and silent, and in it are concentrated all the holy spirits and all the illumined countenances. The burnt-offering was thus transmuted, as it were, into the very essence of that spirit, whereas its beast-part, the consumed fats, were food for the unclean side. Not so the other, or peace-offerings, which had in them the sides of the forces of Rigour, and hence were named "lesser holy offerings"; for they do not ascend as adornments to the height [239a] of heights like the most holy offerings; and hence may be killed on any side of the altar.'

R. Simeon further expounded the verse: "Man and beast thou preservest, O Lord" (Ps. XXXVI, 7). 'Man', he said, 'comes from the side of Man, that is, from that of Adam, whereas beast comes from its own side, that of beast. Hence, "When a man brings from you an offering ... of the cattle", etc. (Lev. I, 2), indicating that the offering is first from man, and then from the cattle, that is, the beast-part, both being necessary for our offering. Similarly, God at the Creation made man and beast together (on the same day). It may be said that birds are also eligible for offerings, and even for burnt-offerings, as we read, "And if his offering be a burnt-offering of fowls" (Lev. I, 14.). Note, however, that of fowls, only turtle-doves and young pigeons are eligible for an offering, the qualifications of the two being opposite to each other; [58] since the former is symbolic of the right, the latter of the left. This is indicated in "and let fowl ('of = flying creatures) fly", an esoteric allusion to the Heavenly Chariot by which the Holy spirit ascends upwards, the term "fowl" being symbolic of the right side, the same being Michael, and the term "let fly" of the left, the same being Gabriel, the two together forming a unity: to wit, that of the lower world with the upper world, or of the Spouse with Her Master. In the Ancient Books it is stated that the poor man [59] provides a portion only for the upper regions, but the truth is that even his portion is distributed both in the upper and the lower regions, each receiving the part appropriate to it. R. Eleazar asked of R. Simeon how far in the heights the burnt-offering reaches. In reply R. Simeon said: 'Even as far as En-Sof (without end) -- the Infinite, where is the union and consummation of all in complete mystery. En-Sof cannot be known, nor how it makes beginning or end, just as the zero number produces beginning and end. What is the beginning? This is the supernal Point, the beginning of all, hidden in "Thought". And it makes the end which is called "the end of the matter" (Eccles. XII, 13). But beyond there is "no end" -- neither intention nor light nor lamp; all the lights are dependent on it, but it cannot be reached. This is a Supreme Will, mysterious above all mysteries. It is Zero ('En). When the supreme Point and the World-to-come ascend, they catch no more than a scent of it.... This, however, [60] is not "a sweet savour", for such is furnished only by the combination of the three acceptable services of prayer, song, and offering, the whole symbolizing "man". It is this sweet odour which drives away the other side -- a service performed by the hand of the priest, as it says: "Command Aaron (239b) and his sons, saying" (Lev. XVII, 2), the term "command", as tradition tells us, alluding to idolatry. [61] This signifies that the evil thought is removed from the holy principle, is separated along with the smoke and the burning fats, whilst the favoured part of the sacrifice ascends on high in its pure holiness. This is the work that was entrusted to the priests. It is true that the same term "command" is used in connection with the whole of Israel, as we read: "Command the children of Israel" (Num. XXVIII, 1). Israel, however, achieve the same work by means of prayer and obedience to the will of their Master. It is by this means that the evil is made powerless to rule over them; and this verse indicates how the Holy Spirit ascends ever higher whilst the spirit of defilement sinks to the lowest depths. Thus, what Israel achieves through prayer the priests achieve through the temple service. All this falls within the work of the priest, and thus is expounded the recondite doctrine of the co-operation (in the sacrifice) of "man and beast". Happy is the portion of the righteous in this world and in the world to come, in that they know the ways of the Torah and thus walk in the way of truth. Of them it is written: "O Lord, by these things", to wit, by the ways of the Torah, "men live" (Isa. XXXVIII, 16), to wit, in this world and in the world to come.

'According to another interpretation, the term "this is the law" refers to the Community of Israel, and the term ha- 'olah (that which ascends) to the evil thought that rises up in man's mind to turn him aside from the way of truth. The verse thus continues: "on its fire-wood upon the altar all night", signifying that the evil thought has to be consumed in fire so as not to allow it to grow. By the term "night" is meant the Community of Israel, which comes to purge man of the evil thought, and so "on its fire-wood" points to the "fiery stream" (n'har di-nur) (Dan. VII, 10), the place where the "unstable" (spirits) have to pass through the burning fire and be deprived of their power. When that happens, the Community of Israel, being the embodiment of the Holy Spirit, ascends on high. It is thus one of the recondite objects of the sacrifice to assign a portion of it as the share of the evil power so as to enable the Holy Spirit to rise on high, as symbolized in the rearing up of the Tabernacle.

'Observe that at the moment when the Tabernacle was erected, as also when the Temple (in Jerusalem) was built, the "other side" was subjugated and removed from the world; and that when the Tabernacle was erected by the hand of Moses the upper and the lower Tabernacles were erected together. Hence it is written: "And Moses reared up the tabernacle". signifying that the Tabernacle below was raised by Moses. as it were. to the height of heights; he raised up. in a sense. that which was fallen and lying low. The same will happen in the days to come. of which it is written: "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen" (Amos IX, 11). [240a] Observe that when Moses erected the Tabernacle. another Tabernacle. to wit. the celestial one, hidden and undisclosed, was simultaneously erected; and it was by the force of that upper Tabernacle that the lower one was made and held firm. As it was the hand of Moses that erected the lower Tabernacle, so was it the "grade" of Moses that simultaneously erected the celestial one. This is proved from the words: "And Moses reared up the (eth) tabernacle". where the particle eth signifies a twin Tabernacle.'

R. Jose said: 'How can Scripture say AND MOSES REARED UP THE TABERNACLE, seeing that that passage speaks of the setting up of its several parts. whilst the term "rearing-up" can only mean the completion of the whole by putting together of all its parts?' Said R. Isaac: 'Moses first set up the three sides of the Tabernacle. whereby the evil power was partly subjugated. and then completed the fourth side. so that the evil power was completely subjugated: a work that could only be done by Moses. and by no one else.

'Observe. that when HE LAID ITS SOCKETS. Samael was shaken out of his place, together with his forty chariot-legions. and fled a distance of four hundred parasangs until he found refuge within the hidden abysmal cavern; and. as Moses "reared up its pillars" and made firm this "side",' the pillars of the "other side" were loosened and fell down.' R. Isaac further discoursed on the verse: "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen" (Amos IX. 11). 'It speaks of the day', he said, 'when the Almighty will execute divine justice upon the world and will visit their deeds upon the wicked of the world. For the Community of Israel cannot rise from the dust so long as the sinners from among Israel exist in the world. Thus the previous verse says: "All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword. that say: The evil shall not overtake nor confront us" (Ibid. 10); and this is immediately followed by the verse, saying: "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle ... and close up their breaches, and I will raise up its ruins", where the plural "their" breaches can only point to "the sinners of My people" who form breaches in Israel, and so when, "the sinners of My people shall die by the sword" those "breaches" will be closed up; "and I will raise up its ruins", to wit, the ruins of the tabernacle of David which was laid into ruins what time the wicked kingdom obtained dominion in the world. For, as we have learnt, of the two powers, as the one gathers strength the other languishes; as the one is filled the other is laid waste. So, until that day the wicked kingdom will be in power, but on that day the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise up the Holy Kingdom and "will raise up its ruins, and will build it as in the days of old" (Ibid.). This last is in allusion to: "Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, etc." (Isa. XXX, 26).

'AND MOSES REARED UP THE TABERNACLE, to wit, AND LAID ITS SOCKETS as a support underneath, and to enable the doors to revolve. "He laid them"; that is, he made them very firm, and at the same time the pillars of the "other side" were removed. Now we read: "Remember, O Lord, against the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem; who said: Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof" (Ps. CXXXVII, 7). But God will in the future build the foundations of Jerusalem out of another substance which will prevail against all, to wit, out of sapphires, as it says, "and (I will) lay thy foundations with sapphires" (Isa. LV, 11). For these form firm and solid foundations without any weakness such as was in the former foundations. Over those stones [240b] of the former foundations other nations could prevail, inasmuch as they lacked the light supernal; but these will possess the radiation from the supernal light and will be embedded in the abyss so that no one will be able to loosen them. These are the sapphires that will shed their light above and below. Nor should we think that the former foundations will then be discarded, for it is written: "Behold, I will set thy stones in antimony (pukh)", the term "set" (marbitz) signifying the repairing of the old broken stones. There are certain stones called pukh; the reason -- so said R. Eleazar -- only being known to the "reapers in the field". For we must not think for a moment that the stones of the foundations of Zion and Jerusalem fell into the power of the nations. In truth, they did not bum them, nor were they burnt, but they were all hidden and treasured up by the Holy One, blessed be He, without the loss of a single stone, and when God will again establish Jerusalem in its place, the ancient foundation-stones will return to their former positions; and no other (al. evil) eye will be able to rest on them save an eye painted with antimony (pukh). With such an eye one will be enabled to behold all the stones and foundations of Jerusalem set aright in their places. Similarly, all the other precious stones and stone edifices will be reared up in their former positions. Then "they shall see eye to eye the Lord returning [62] (to) Zion" (Ibid. LII, 8). Scripture speaks of the "Lord returning" for the reason that when other nations obtain rule over Zion, God removes her, as it were, and places her on high; but then He will restore her to her own place. Observe that if a thing is too bright for the eye to behold, the eye may yet look upon it if it is painted with certain substances. Hence, "Behold, I will set thy stones in pukh". [63] Observe also that all the former foundations will in the future be in their former positions and the sapphire stones will be placed around them. Of the time that God will restore His House it is written: "He will swallow up death for ever" (Ibid. XXV, 8); it will not be as at the time when Moses reared up the Tabernacle, but for ever and for all generations. The Holy One, blessed be He, will then establish the Community of Israel, will raise up the pillars and the pins, and all the beams of the Sanctuary in their proper setting to endure for evermore. The "other side" will be swallowed up for ever: "And the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it" (Ibid.).

AND MOSES REARED UP THE TABERNACLE, AND LAID (vayiten) ITS SOCKETS. At the time when these pillars and supports were put into their places, the pillars and supports of the evil side were loosened and swept away from their places. Moses, as we have learnt, saw the wicked Samael advancing towards him with intent to bring accusations against him. But he overpowered him and bound him in fetters, and then reared up the tabernacle, and fixed its sockets. The term vayiten (and he laid) indicates the use of intense force, for no other man but Moses would have been able to overcome this antagonist and to fix the foundations in their place. It was on the first of Nisan that the Tabernacle was reared up, a season when the evil powers are let loose in the world; for in the days of Nisan, as the saying goes, "even when the ox has his head in the fodder basket, go up the roof". [64] Moses saw Samael going round and round him to confuse him, but he overpowered him. And whilst he began to set firmly the Tabernacle below, a corresponding work was begun [241a] on high; there was opposite the earthly Tabernacle a heavenly Tabernacle, hidden and undisclosed, that radiated light on all sides, illuminating all the worlds. R. Jose asked R. Simeon: 'How is it that Scripture seems to speak of three Tabernacles, in that it says: "And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the tent of the testimony; and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until morning" (Num. IX, 15)? And further, why "tabernacle" rather than "house", inasmuch as a house was needed rather than a temporary abode?' R. Simeon prefaced his reply with the verse: "Thus saith the Lord: The heaven is my throne, etc." (Isa. LXVI, 1). 'Observe', he said, 'that the Holy One, blessed be He, found delight in Israel as His inheritance and portion, brought them near to Himself, and divided them into certain grades after the celestial model, so as to bring into one complete whole all the worlds, both the upper and the lower. Thus "the heaven is my throne" indicates the firmament wherein Jacob dwells, an exalted image, as it were, of the most high Divine Throne; [65] "And the earth is My footstool", to wit, the firmament where King David abides to feast on the resplendency of the luminous glass; and since this resplendency is designed to be diffused downwards, the term "My footstool" is used. "The house that ye may build unto me" alludes to the Temple; and "the place that may be my resting-place" speaks of the Holy of Holies of the lower Temple. Now observe that all the time that the Israelites wandered in the desert they possessed a Tabernacle, which remained in existence until they came to Shiloh. This, then, is the allusion of the threefold mention of the word "tabernacle", that it went from one place to another, carrying a trail of light through all, but it was not a permanent resting-place. This only came about when the Temple was built in the days of King Solomon. Then was there indeed rest, both in the upper world and the lower; there were no more journeyings from place to place. The difference between "tabernacle" and "house" may be illustrated thus. In regard to the former we have to imagine a king who comes to visit his friend without bringing with him all his retinue, but only a few attendants, so as not to put his friend to trouble. But a "house" is a place where he comes to abide accompanied by his full retinue. The Temple, then, was designed as an ever-enduring resting-place for all the legions, all the symbols, all the solemn works, on the model of the celestial Temple; but the Tabernacle was the same, only on a small scale.

'Observe that when Moses was commanded to make the Tabernacle, he could not comprehend its design until God showed him an exact replica of every single part, a replica in white fire, in black fire, in red fire, and in green fire. Scripture thus says: "And see that thou make them after their pattern, which is being shown thee in the mount" (Ex. XXV, 40). Still Moses found the work difficult, and though he was shown it eye to eye, as it were, he was reluctant to undertake it. Now it cannot be that he Jacked the skill or the knowledge for the work, for though Bezalel and Oholiab and the others with them did not see what Moses saw, yet it is written of them: "And Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it, etc." (Ex. XXXIX, 43). How much more, then was Moses able to accomplish it! But the truth is that though Moses withdrew himself from the work of the Tabernacle, yet was the whole work done by his direction and under his supervision. Hence we read, "And see that thou make". According to an alternative exposition, Moses withdrew himself from the work of the Tabernacle, preferring to make way for someone else. So God said to him: [241b] "See, I have called by name Bezalel ... I have appointed with him Oholiab" (Ibid. XXXI, 1-6); and we read further: "And Bezalel and Oholiab and every wise-hearted man shall work" (Ibid. XXXVI, 1). For all that, seeing that the work was accomplished by and under his direction, it was as though he himself had done it. Moreover, it is the finishing of a work which is the decisive factor, and therefore we read: "And Moses reared up the tabernacle"; all those wise-hearted men attempted to rear it up but could not, the honour being left for Moses.'

AND MOSES REARED UP THE TABERNACLE. R. Judah began a discourse on the verse: "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; though I have fallen, I have arisen, etc." (Micah VII, 8). 'It is the Community of Israel that says this', he said, 'in regard to the enmity of the wicked kingdom against the holy kingdom. "Though I have fallen" she says, "I have arisen", which is not so with any other kingdom, which once it falls never rises again. But the Community of Israel will rise again as she has risen before other times. She had fallen many times, was driven into exile, dwelt among enemies, and nations arose against Israel in an attempt to exterminate them, as it says: "They hold crafty converse against thy people.... They have said: Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation" (Ps. LXXXIII, 45). Yet, though all nations rose against them, God did not leave them in their hands, and if they did fall it was to rise again. And so at that future time when the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise her from the dust of the exile, the Community of Israel will say: "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; though I am fallen, I shall arise". Thus Israel arose from the Egyptian exile from which Moses brought them out with all the miracles and mighty deeds that the Almighty wrought for them. Hence it is written: "And Moses reared up the tabernacle", signifying that it was raised by Moses every time.'

R. Simeon discoursed in this connection on the verse: "When those went these went, and when those stood these stood" (Ezek. I, 21). 'That means', he said, 'that when the Hayoth (living creatures) went the Ofanim (Wheels) also went, as we read, "and when the Hayoth went the Ofanim went hard by them" (Ibid. 19). For the movements of the Ofanim are only induced by the movements of the Hayoth, nor can they pause independently of the Hayoth, for the two move together as one. Now the celestial gate of the east is provided with twenty-four openings guarded by twenty-four sentinels who are surrounded by a flaming fire. There are at the entrance of the gate twenty-four sockets supporting twenty-four pillars. These pillars remain in their place and do not soar into space; they are thus designated "standing ones", in the verse: "I will give thee a place to walk among these standing ones" (Zech. Ill, 7). And as long as those pillars remain immobile those that are above them go to and fro through the world, survey things, and whatever they overhear they carry up on high. So Scripture says: "For a bird of the air shall carry the voice" (Eccles. X, 20). Now observe that the Ofanim (Wheels) are carried by the Hayoth (living creatures). [242a] For that which is of a higher grade, though it seems to be carried by that which is of a lower grade, really carries it. It was the same with the Ark, which also carried its carriers. [66] We must distinguish between the Hayah, "the spirit of which was in the Ofanim", and the Hayoth, with which the Ofanim went. This one turned towards all four quarters of the globe. In regard to this it says: "This is the Hayah that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar" (Ibid. X, 20); it is the same which forms a throne to the likeness of Man, and is below the superior holy Hayoth. For they are in grades, one above the other. The Throne immediately underneath the God of Israel is in the form of Jacob, and the Throne below in that of David; this is the one that turns to the four comers of the world. It follows that the spirit of the highest diffuses through the lower, and directs and guides the whole. There was similar direction in the lower world. Just as in connection with the upper world we read that "the spirit of the Hayah is in the Ofanim", so of the lower world it is written, "And Moses reared up the tabernacle", he being the guiding spirit below; wherefore it is written: "And he reared up, fixed, put."

'Observe that Moses set up the Tabernacle in the recondite spirit of his own high grade; but the Temple that Solomon built was the recondite expression of the River that went forth from Eden, signifying homely peace and rest. The Tabernacle expressed love and affection, but not restfulness, whereas the Temple of Solomon meant rest, as it says, "he shall be a man of rest" (I Chron. XXII, 9). Each one builded according to his own grade.

'Moses first firmly established in the side of holiness the central Point which was hid in darkness and buried, and afterwards all the rest, which is but the enlargement of this Point. And if this Point had not been established first, all that spread from it could not have been established. This is referred to in the words, "he reared up the tabernacle". Moses then "set up its sockets" on either side to the number of a hundred, as it says, "a hundred talents, a talent for a socket" (Ex. XXXVIII, 27). [242b] As already said, here it is not written "and he reared up", but "he laid" (vayiten) the sockets, for the reason that over above them there were placed other grades, riding one upon the other, as it were. At the moment when the central Point was reared up the evil power sank, but it was not wiped out altogether. That will come to pass in the future, as already said. As the one thus rose, so the other sank. When "he set up its sockets", the "holy side" began to gather force, whilst the forces of the "other side" plunged into the cavern of the Abyss. Had Israel not sinned, the evil powers could never more exercise sway in the world. But since Israel sinned, and thereby drew unto them the "other side" as of old, there is no remedy save to assign him his portion, esoterically speaking, in the sacrifices and libation-offerings. For this reason the burnt-offering is completely consumed in fire, so that the "other side" may be subjugated and the holy side may rise. Then the text repeats, "and he put in the bars thereof and he reared up its pillars", so that there should be rearing-up both at the beginning and the end, whereby the side of holiness was upraised and the evil side was weakened and forced down.

'The starting-point of the grades of the evil side, which is the beginning of the outside grade, assumes the shape of the head of a male riding on a camel. This is the starting-point of a thick darkness which spreads out. The darkness is caused by a smoke issuing in the midst of the fury of the evil side, which fury becomes intensified, begetting other furies, and furies upon furies, one riding on top of the other, and representing the male and the female principles. When the smoke begins to spread, through the pressure of the nucleus, it takes the form of a winding and dangerous serpent. The first result of its spreading is a grade which, after much moving up and down, settles into the grade called "shadow", being a shadow on the place called "death"; and when the two are combined they are called "the shadow of death". The lower and outer starting-point is enveloped in darkness and is far removed from the holy and central Point. The darkness round the lower point is black and yet not black, having no hue which can be discerned by the eye. It is of the same kind that prevailed in Egypt, regarding which it says: "they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days" (Ex. X, 23); also, "even darkness which may be felt" (Ibid. 21). [243a] Now this starting-point was ramified into seven grades. The first grade is a darkness that displays three hues: that of smoke, of fire, and that of blackness. The smoky hue is the apparition of the evil seducer who seduces mankind to stray from the path and to be rebellious. In allusion to such it is written: "There shall no strange god be in thee, neither shalt thou worship any strange god" (Ps. LXXXI, 9). The first half of the verse refers to the male principle, the second to the female principle. The fiery view is that aspect of the evil power which brings about slaughter, bloodshed, and destruction amongst mankind. For there is in the world causeless and purposeless slaughter and bloodshed, as well as slaughter and bloodshed in the course of war. The first proceeds from the male principle of the evil powers, the second from the female principle. The male aspect is concerned in mere bloodshed, whereas the female aspect is at the root of mutual wars of people against people; and all such wars proceed from the female principle. Finally, the black hue is the apparition of the evil power that presides over the infliction of wounds and bruises on the bodies of men as well as over crucifixions and strangulations. [243b]

'The second grade emerges out of the darkness and branches out into three hundred separate directions, although they all are absorbed within each other, as it were. They roam abroad to inflict evil on the world, to execute justice openly for sins committed by men in secret.

'The third grade is as a firmament that overspreads all the other grades. [244a] The fourth grade is like a ruddy conflagration, and is also concerned with the shedding of blood among men. It gives the authority to the lower powers for the slaying of mankind. It is to the lower powers in the relation of soul to body. For the soul cannot act save through the medium of body. It is the aspect of the male, which can only act through the female principle, to wit, the lower powers.' [67] [269a]

THEN THE CLOUD COVERED THE TENT OF MEETING, whereby the Shekinah dwelt on the earth, and the unclean spirit, designated "end of all flesh", passed out of the world and disappeared into the cavern of the great abyss. The Holy Spirit had thus sole sway over the world, as Scripture says: "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting". It is further written: AND MOSES WAS NOT ABLE TO ENTER INTO THE TENT OF MEETING, BECAUSE THE CLOUD ABODE THEREON, in other words, because the Holy Spirit hovered over the world and the unclean spirit passed out. The wicked, however, draw him again into the world, and if not for them he would completely disappear. But in the days to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will cause him to pass completely out of the world, as Scripture says: "He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it" (Isa. XXV, 8); also, "and (I will cause) the unclean spirit to pass out of the land" (Zech. XIII, 3). Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen. "The Lord will reign for ever."

_______________

Notes:

1. v. Zohar, Exodus, 95b.

2. Binah.

3. Yah. which is the name of Binah.

4. The Zohar takes noph in its post-Biblical sense of branch, part of the tree.

5. v. Zohar, Gen. 74a.

6. Cf. the Talmudic phrase, "uprooter of mountains" = ingenious dialectician.

7. Viz. the building of the altars and the offering of sacrifices.

8. V.2 Kings, XI, 1-2.

9. There is here a lacuna in the text.

10. The root, N'R has this meaning only in post-Biblical Hebrew.

11. Al. the Divine Faith, which is called "city". as in the passage, "in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God" (Ps. XLVIII. 9).

12. When marital relations are forbidden.

13. Gold, in the cabbalistic doctrine, is symbolic of Rigour, or Judgement, which in the higher regions exists in its purity, whilst the more it descends the more it is mingled with the dross of evil, sin, the "other side", or the evil Accuser, etc. But silver is symbolic of Mercy, which is not changed by its descent.

14. Lit. fills his hands.

15. The Zohar seems to construe this phrase as: "the numbered silver of the congregation."

16. Malkuth.

17. The text here repeats the passage from Zohar, Genesis, 65a, commencing, "That unknowable light" to "is called En-Sof".

18. i.e. Metatron, the chief of the angels.

19. The text here repeats the passage from Zohar, Genesis, 64b, commencing: "We have been taught that the term" to "evil of eye".

20. The text here repeats the passage from Zohar, Gen., 159a, commencing: "There are three orders" to "perfect unity" [159b].

21. The permutations of the letters of the Tetragrammaton.

22. Binah.

23. The world of Creation.

24. v. T. B. Yoma, 73.

25. v. T. B. Menahoth, 35.

26. v. T. B. Erubin. 18.

27. Binah.

28. Beriah.

29. The numerical value of EGVZ. (1+3+6+7)=17. Similarly, HT (sin) (9+8=17; and TVB (the good) (9+6+2)=17.

30. Since 34 is the numerical value of DaL (D=4, L=30), signifying the lowest extreme of poverty.

31. i.e. the 10 Sefiroth, consisting of 3 groups of 3 each with the Sefirah Kether (Crown) above them.

32. i.e. the sum of 10 (the length of each board) + 1-1/2 (the breadth).

33. Lit. Wheels. An angelic order above that of Seraphim.

34. i.e. Twenty times the length of each plus twenty times the breadth of each: (20 x 10) + (20x 1-1/2) = 230. The number 230 is the numerical value of certain sacred names.

35. i.e. the six directions of the world. The homophone shesh=linen (of which the tunic was made) and also = six.

36. Sod in the Bible = counsel; in post-Biblical Hebrew = secret.

37. Zohar, Exodus, 220b.

38. Allusion to Bereshith Bara Elohim (in the beginning God created).

39. v. Zohar, Gen. 16b.

40. v. Yalkut Hadash, 5b; Zohar, Gen. 55a.

41. v. T. B. Pesahim, 72b et passim. There is at this point a lacuna in the text.

42. v. T.B. Pesahim 42b.

43. The Zohar plays upon the Hebrew root GML, which as GaMaL = camel, and as GeMuL = reward, requitement, for good or evil deed.

44. Allusion to Isa, L1X, 21: "this is My covenant with them".

45. Allusion to the Golden Calf, v, Midrash Eikhoh, in loco.

46. This is cited to prove that eleh (these) is associated with the good as well as evil.

47. v. Lev. VIII, 33.

48. v. Ibid. IX, 2.

49. v. Rashi ad Num. XXIV, 15.

50. v. Daniel VIII.

51. An allusion to Cyrus, the liberator of the Babylonian Jews.

52. i.e. Rome.

53. i.e. a symbol of the evil power that was to be destroyed.

54. Allusion (apparently inexact) to Mishnah, Ahaloth III, 2.

55. Sod in Bib. Heb. = counsel, in post-Bib. = secret, mystery.

56. i.e. the eve of the Last day of Tabernacles.

57. Vide T. B. Pesahim, 42b.

58. According to T. B. Hulin, 22a-22b. there is a special age qualification for each, that of the turtle-dove commencing when that of the young pigeon had already terminated.

59. Whose offerings consist only of birds.

60. The text seems here to revert abruptly to the subject of the offering of the bird introduced above.

61. v. T. B. Sanhedrin, 56b.

62. The Zohar takes here the verb shub (returning) in a transitive sense.

63. i.e. owing to the intense brilliancy of the stones, the eye could only look at them when shaded by certain paints like pukh (antimony).

64. T. P. Pesahim, 112b.

65. Al. "an exalted throne for the supernal sacred form."

66. T. B. Sotah, 35a.

67. Here follows in the text a long dissertation on the Hekaloth (temples), or halls of the angels, which is not based on an exposition of the Scriptures.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:45 am

Part 1 of 3

LEVITICUS

VAYIKRA

(Lev. I, 1-VI, 7)

R. Eleazar began here with the verse, "Ask thee a sign [1] of the Lord thy God, ask it either in the depth or in the height above" (Isa. VII, 1). He said: 'We have compared the former with the latter generations, and found that the former were conversant with a higher wisdom by which they knew how to combine the letters that were given to Moses on Mount Sinai, and even the sinners of Israel knew a deep wisdom contained in the letters and the difference between higher and lower letters, and how to do things with them in this world. For every letter that was transmitted to Moses used to ascend as a crown upon the heads of the holy celestial Hayyoth, who with them flitted through the ether which is under the refined and unknowable supernal ether. There were large letters and small letters; the large letters came from the most high and hidden Temple (hekhal) and the smaller letters from another lower Temple; and both kinds were transmitted to Moses on Sinai, along with their occult combinations. [2] [2b]

AND HE CALLED UNTO MOSES, AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO HIM OUT OF THE TENT OF MEETING, SAYING. R. Hiya connected this with the verse, "I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride, I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk, eat, O friends, etc." 'The first part of this verse', he said, 'does not seem to accord with the second. If a man invites another to eat, it is while the food is spread before him, not after he has eaten himself. The explanation, however, is this. On the day when the Tabernacle was set up on earth, another Tabernacle was set up aloft, and that day was one of joy to the Holy One, blessed be He. Moses, however, at that time, "was not able to enter the tent of meeting" (Ex. XL, 35), whereupon God said, "The Tabernacle has been raised by the hand of Moses, and shall he remain outside?" Straightway, therefore, He called to Moses, saying, Moses, how does one dedicate a house? With a banquet, is it not? Therefore, "when any man of you offereth an oblation unto the Lord", etc. The verse can also be explained in the same connection as follows. The "garden" is the higher Garden of Eden, "My sister, my bride" is the Community of Israel, whose espousals were on that day consummated, all being blessed from the water of the supernal stream. Hence it says "I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, etc.", [4a] while the words "eat, O friends, etc." indicate that all those beneath and all the branches were blessed and nourished when the others were blessed above. And wherewith are they all blessed and regaled? With the odour of the sacrifice. It was when the Community of Israel came down to make her abode on earth that God proclaimed this verse, because there was then blessing and joy in all worlds, and She was firmly established as a source of blessing to all. For when those Six [grades] are blessed, then all worlds are blessed, both below and above, and Israel draw blessing from all of them.' R. Isaac said that the Holy One, blessed be He, was espoused to the Community of Israel only at the time when those Six drank their fill of the "stream that never fails". R. Judah said that the words, "Eat, O friends, drink, yea drink abundantly, O beloved", were addressed to all the lords of the loud battle-shout, who were then established and blessed because they all partook of the banquet of the King. For when the King came rejoicing he rejoiced the Matrona, and then they all ate and were glad. R. Abba said that the terms "friends" and "beloved" refer to the Six mentioned, who were bidden to drink and drink abundantly from that wine which slakes the thirst of all. R. Eleazar said that these terms refer to all the lower orders, since when those Six are blessed all beneath are blessed. R. Simeon said: 'All these explanations are good, but the real truth is that "friends" refers to those above and "beloved" to those below.' 'Who', asked R. Eleazar, 'are those above and those below?' 'This is a good question' , he replied. 'Those in the higher realm who are fast friends and never separate are called "friends", whereas those below who unite only at certain times are called "beloved ones". Note that those in the higher realm are bidden only to eat and not to drink. For he who already has a cask of wine needs something to eat with it, and since in that realm is the precious "wine of creation", they are invited to eat, whereas those below who require liquid are invited to drink, for all shoots require to be watered from the deep stream.' Said R. Eleazar to him: 'The term "beloved" is the more endearing of the two: why, then, is it applied to those below?' He replied: 'Those who yearn for one another, but are not always together, are called "beloved", whereas those who are always together and never hidden or separated from one another are called "friends". In the inseparableness of the one set and the yearning of the other lies the completeness of the whole, for the blessing of the Community of Israel and the joy of all worlds.' R. Hizkiah applied the verse to the sacrifices, because they are the banquet which is brought before the King, and the accusers also partake of it and are satisfied, and so joy is diffused everywhere. R. Aha applied the verse to the time when the Shekinah entered the Tabernacle, blessing and joy being then universally diffused, and Israel being perfected and joined [4b] to the Holy One, blessed be He, on earth, as it is written, "and they shall make me a sanctuary and I shall dwell among them" (Ex. XXV, 8).

AND HE CALLED UNTO MOSES. R. Simeon connected this with the verse, "The flowers appear in the land, the time of the singing of birds (zamir) is come and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land" (S.S. II, 12). 'Why', he said, 'is the word "land" repeated in this verse? The reason is that the "flowers" here are the "shoots" which God plucked up and planted in another place, and whose blossoms appear on the "earth" -that earth which is fitly blessed by them, the holy earth, the supernal earth, the true earth. Then, too, the time of cutting-off (zamir) has drawn near, the time to destroy the dominion of the nations over Israel, when the Tabernacle was set up, "and the voice of the turtle was heard in our land", to wit, in the land which Joshua conquered for Israel. When the Tabernacle was set up, Moses stood outside, not venturing to enter without permission, until "one called unto Moses". Who was it that called? She to whom the house belonged, the bride who had authority over all the house.'

AND THE LORD SPAKE TO HIM. This was He that is called Voice, and to whom Moses attached himself. R. Eleazar quoted here the verse: "Wherefore when I came was there no man, when I called was there none to answer?" (Isa. L, 2). 'Happy are Israel', he said, 'in that wherever they congregate God is among them and takes pride in them, as it says, "Israel in whom I will be glorified" (Ibid. XLIX, 3). Nay more, Israel attain to perfect faith on earth and Israel consummate the Holy Name. For when Israel are blameless in their conduct die Holy Name, so to speak, is whole, but when Israel are faulty in their conduct on earth, the Holy Name, if one may say so, is not whole above. For so we have learnt: "One went up and the other went down. The supernal Israel ascended aloft, the Community of Israel came down to earth. So they were parted from one another, and the Holy Name was left incomplete"; and all because the Community of Israel is in exile. Yet though Israel are in exile, the Holy One, blessed be He, is to be found among them, and precedes them to the synagogue, where he exclaims: "Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings" (Jer. III, 22). And if none heed, then God says: "Wherefore when I came was there no man, when I called was there none to answer ?" So on the day when the Tabernacle was completed God came at once and rested thereon and straightway "called unto Moses and spake to him from the tent of meeting, saying", He made known to him how Israel would sin and how this tent of meeting would be "pledged" [3] for their sins and would not endure. There was, however, a remedy for this: "if a man should bring an offering to the Lord".'

R. Hizkiah once, when in the company of R. Simeon, asked him [5a] what was the precise meaning of the term korban (offering). He replied: 'As is well known to the Companions, it means their "drawing near". [4] It refers to those holy Crowns which are all knit together and drawn near to one another until they all form a perfect unity to make whole the Holy Name. Hence it is written, "a korban to YHVH", meaning that the drawing near of those Crowns is to YHVH to unify properly the Holy Name so that mercy should be shown to all worlds, and rigour should not be aroused. Hence the name YHVH is used (in connection with the sacrifices), and not the name Elohim.' Said R. Hizkiah: 'How glad I am that I asked this question, so as to receive such an explanation. But is it not written, "The sacrifices of Elohim are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, Elohim, thou wilt not despise" (Ps. LI, 18)?' He replied: 'It does not say here "offering" (korban), but "sacrifices" (zibehe). It is for this reason that the sacrifices were killed on the north side of the altar, because that is the side of Geburah, which is designated Elohim, the purpose being to soften and break the spirit of severity, so that mercy may obtain the upper hand. It is meet, therefore, that a man should stand by the altar with a contrite spirit and repent of his misdeeds so that that stem spirit may be softened and mercy prevail over severity.'

WHEN ANY MAN OF YOU OFFERETH AN OBLATION UNTO THE LORD. R. Eleazar said: 'The words "of you" are inserted here to show that the word "man" (adam) does not refer to Adam, who also brought a sacrifice when God created the world, as explained elsewhere.' Said R. Simeon to him : 'You are quite right.' R. Abba discoursed here on the Psalm commencing: "A song, a psalm of the sons of Korah" (Ps. XLVIII). 'This psalm', he said, 'surpasses all the other hymns of praise, sung by the sons of Korah, being hymn upon hymn, a hymn with two facets, song and psalm. It was sung in praise of the Community of Israel. Wherein lies this praise? In the words, "Great is the Lord and highly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain". For when is the Holy One, blessed be He, called great? When the Community of Israel is with Him; He is great "in the city of our God". We learn from this that the King without the Matrona is no king, nor is He great nor highly praised. Hence, whoever being male is without his female is bereft of all his praises and is not included in the category of "man", nor is he even worthy to be blessed. (So in the book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder we find it stated that Job was called "great" (Job I, 3) only because of his wife, who was God-fearing like himself.) The praise of their espousals is contained in the next words, "Beautiful in elevation", the one referring to the Holy One, blesssed be He, and the other to the Zaddik, this union being "the joy of the whole earth". "God hath made himself known in her palaces for a refuge" : these are Nezah and Hod, [5b] in which all blessings and joy are stored up, and from whence they issue through the agency of that grade which is called Zaddik. "For lo, the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together" these are all the crowns of the King together; and from this point the Psalm has a different reference.

'When a man rectifies his actions by means of the offering, all is firmly established and knit together in complete unity, as it is written, "when a man brings near", that is, unites what should be united.'

WHEN ANY MAN OF YOU OFFERETH. The term "man" (adam) excludes one who is not married, his offering being no offering and blessings not resting on him, either above or below. For he is deficient and is called "blemished", and nothing blemished may approach the altar. The proof is in the fate of Nadab and Abihu. Said R. Abba: 'The incense is the most excellent of all offerings, for through it are blessed both those above and those below. Therefore they were not worthy to bring this offering, because they were not married. It may still be asked, however, why were they burnt? The following parable will explain. A man came before the queen to inform her that the king intended to visit her and enjoy her company. He then presented himself to the king, who saw that he was physically defective. Said the king: "It comports not with my dignity that through the agency of this cripple I should be presented to the queen." Meanwhile the queen had prepared the room for the king. When she saw that the king was prevented from coming to her by that man, she ordered him to be put to death. So when Nadab and Abihu took the incense, the Matrona saw and rejoiced and prepared to meet the King. When the King, however, saw that they were defective, he did not wish to be introduced to her through them, and kept aloof. When the Matrona saw that through them the King kept aloof, straightway "a fire went forth from the Lord and consumed them". All this because a man who is not married is defective, and the holiness of the King flees from him.'

OF THE CATTLE. This is the general term. OF THE HERD AND OF THE FLOCK: these are the particular terms. The Scripture particularises those animals which are proper to eat. Those which are not proper to eat may not be brought as an offering. The difference between those that are proper and those that are not proper to eat is stated elsewhere.

IF HIS OBLATION BE A BURNT OFFERING. R. Hiya cited here the verse: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, said the Lord" (Isa. LV, 8). 'The Thought of God', he said. 'is the fountain-head of all, and from that Thought spread forth ways and paths in which the Holy Name might be found and fittingly established. From that Thought, too, issued the stream of the Garden of Eden to water all. On that Thought depend all beings above and below, and from that Thought come the Written and the Oral Torahs. The thought of man is also the fountain-head of his life, and from it stretch ways and paths to pervert his ways in this world and in the next. From that thought issues the defilement of the evil inclination to work harm to him and to all, and from it come error and iniquity and presumptuous sin, idolatry, fornication and bloodshed; wherefore [6a] it says, "my thoughts are not as your thoughts". Hence it says, first of all, "If his oblation be a burnt-offering", for the "burnt-offering" ('olah) has reference to "that which goeth up" ('olaj) on the heart, to wit the thought, and therefore the first offering mentioned is the burnt-offering.'

R. Aha was once walking in company with R. Judah. As they were going along, R. Judah said: 'We have learnt that the "Virgin of Israel" is blessed from seven sources; yet the Scripture says, in reference to her, "And do thou, O son of man, raise a lament over the virgin of Israel", [5] and what is even worse, "The virgin of Israel is fallen, she shall no more rise" (Amos V, 2). It is true that this last verse has been explained by all the Companions as a message of comfort. [6] This, however, can hardly be accepted, as the prophet himself calls it a lamentation (V. 1).' Said R. Aha: 'I, too, have been perplexed with the same difficulty. I once came before R. Simeon looking very troubled. He said to me: "Your face shows that there is something on your mind." I said: "Truly my mind is as sad as my face." He said to me: "Tell me what it is." I said: "It is written, 'The virgin of Israel is fallen. she shall no more rise'. If a man is angry with his wife and she leaves him, shall she never return? If so, alas for the children who have been sent away with her!" He said to me: "Are you not content with what the Companions have said?" I replied: "I have heard their explanation, that it is really a message of comfort, but it does not satisfy me." He said: "What the Companions have said is quite right as far as it goes, but there is more to be said. Alas for the generation when the shepherds are gone and the sheep stray without knowing whither they are going! Truly this verse requires understanding, but it is all plain to those who can interpret the Torah fittingly. See now. In all the other exiles of Israel a term was set, at the end of which Israel returned to God and the Virgin of Israel came back to her place. But this last exile is not so, for she shall not return as on previous occasions, as is proved by this verse which says, 'The virgin of Israel is fallen, she shall rise no more.' Note that it is not written, 'I shall not raise her any more'. Imagine a king who was wroth with his queen and banished her from his palace for a certain time. When that time arrived she at once returned to the king. So it happened several times. Finally. however, she was banished from the king's palace for a very long time. Said the king: 'This time is not like the other times when she came back to me. This time I shall go with all my followers to find her.' When he came to her he found her in the dust. [6b] Seeing her thus humiliated and yearning once more for her. the king took her by the hand. raised her up. and brought her to his palace. and swore to her that he would never part from her again. So the Community of Israel. on all previous occasions in which she was in exile. when the appointed time came. used to return of herself to the King; but in this exile the Holy One. blessed be He. will himself take her by the hand and raise her and comfort her and restore her to his palace. So it is written: 'In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen' (Amos IX. 11), the 'tabernacle of David' being identical with the 'Virgin of Israel'." Said R. Judah: 'Truly thou hast comforted and satisfied me, and this is the truth of the matter. And it reminds me of something similar which I had forgotten, of a saying of R. Jose, that the Holy One, blessed be He, will one day make proclamation concerning the Community of Israel, saying "Shake thyself from the dust, arise, sit thee down, Jerusalem" (Isa. LII, 2), like a man taking his neighbour by the hand and saying, Pull yourself together, rise.' Said R. Aha to him: 'All the prophets use similar language. Thus it is written, "Arise, shine forth, for thy light is come", meaning that the King is here to be reconciled with her. And again. "Behold thy king cometh unto thee" (Zech. IX, 9): He shall come to thee to comfort thee, to raise thee, to repay thee all, to take thee into His palace and to espouse thee for evermore, as it is written: "And I shall betroth thee for ever" (Hos. II. 19).'

As they went along they saw R. Abba approaching. They said: 'Here comes a master of wisdom; let us greet the Shekinah.' When, however, they came up, he himself slipped off the saddle and came down to the ground by them. He then began to discourse on the verse: "And there was the voice of a trumpet (shofar) exceedingly loud" (Ex. XIX, 16). 'The ancient scribes', he said, 'differed as to the correct intonation of this verse. Some punctuated it so as to read, "And there was a voice, the trumpet exceeding strong", making the voice and the trumpet two things, the trumpet being the signal for slaves to go forth to everlasting freedom. Some, again, made the voice and the trumpet one, this being the great voice whence issued the Torah, which is called "strong", because there is no word in the Torah so apparently weak or feeble which when properly studied will not be found as strong as a hammer breaking the rock. [7a] It is also written in the same passage: "Moses spake and God answered him by a voice" (Ibid. 19). This voice, as has been elsewhere explained, is the voice of Moses, the Voice to which Moses attached himself. It may be asked, does it not say further on that "God spoke" (Ibid. XX, 1), and not Moses? Some explain that the reason was because the people said to Moses: "Speak thou with us and we will hear, but let not God speak with us" (Ibid. 19). But, in fact, there is no word in the Torah which Moses spoke on his own authority. Hence it says, "Moses spoke" with his own voice, "and God answered him with that mighty Voice", confirming what he said.'

They asked R. Abba to continue, so he went on with the verse: "But if a priest's daughter be a widow or divorced and have no child", etc. (Lev. XXII, 13). 'Blessed', he said, 'is the portion of Israel above that of all other nations, because God created the world only for their sake, that they might receive the Law on Mount Sinai and become pure and righteous in His sight. Now, when this world was made after the supernal pattern and that first man was planted in the earth whose stature reached to the heaven, God desired to draw down a holy soul from heaven to earth in order that they might be joined and linked together. And therefore "God formed man dust from the ground", etc. (Gen. II, 7), that he might join one with the other and himself be perfect. And therefore God created man male and female that he might be perfect. For when is man called complete after the supernal pattern? When he is joined with his mate in unity, in joy, and in affection, and there issue from their union a son and a daughter. Then is man complete below like the Holy Name above, and the Holy Name is attached to him. But if a man is not willing to complete the Holy Name below, it were better for him that he had not been born, for he has no portion at all in the Holy Name, and when his soul leaves him it never joins him again, because he diminished the likeness of his Master, until it has been wholly rectified, as it is written: "But if a priest's daughter be a widow or divorced", etc. "The priest's daughter" is the holy soul, called "daughter of the king", who issues from the union of the King and the Matrona, and is therefore the lower body consisting of male and female, there being a corresponding soul above. "If she shall be widowed" from that body to which she was united, "or divorced" from that portion of the Holy Name, because "she has no seed" to resemble therewith that which is above and to be linked to the Holy Name, then "she shall return" to be restored to her original state. Thereupon "she shall return to her father's house". that is, to the Holy One, blessed be He, "as in her youth". as at first, and "she shall eat of her father's bread", to partake of the delights of the King. But thenceforth "there shall no stranger eat thereof", that is, one who has not established the Holy Name below and who has no portion therein; such a one has no portion in the supernal delight wherein is true "eating", [7b] and which is still in the place where it was when the savour of the sacrifices used to ascend. For when there is food below there is food above; it is as though a king were to prepare a banquet for himself and another for his servants, but were not to eat till his servants ate. Hence the expression "sweet savour" (lit. savour of pleasantness) -- savour for the servants, pleasantness for the Lord. Hence we have learnt that Israel feed their Father in heaven. And who are they that eat of the banquet of the King? Who if not the souls of the righteous?'

R. Abba further discoursed on the verse: "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Ps. CXXXIII, 1). 'Happy are Israel', he said, 'in that God gave them in the charge of no chief or messenger, and they are attached to Him and He is attached to them. And from His love for them He called them servants, as it is written: "For unto me the children of Israel are servants" (Lev. XXV, 55); and He further called them children, as it is written, "Ye are children of the Lord your God" (Deut. XIV, 1); and finally He called them brethren, as it is written, "For my brethren and companions' sakes" (Ps. CXXII, 8). And because He called them "brethren", He desired to make his abode with them and not leave them. Also we may take the word "brethren" to indicate the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel. So in the exposition of the verse, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one", we have learnt that "one" signifies the Community of Israel who clings to the Holy One, blessed be He, since, as Rabbi Simeon said, the union of male and female is called "one", the Holy One, blessed be He, being called "one" only in the place where the Female also is, since the male without the female is called half the body, and half is not one. When, however, the two halves are united, they become one body and are called one. At the present day the Holy One, blessed be He, is not called "one". The inner reason is that the Community of Israel is in exile, and the Holy One, blessed be He, has ascended aloft and the union has been broken so that the Holy Name is not complete and is therefore not called "one". When will it be called "one"? When the Matrona will be again with the King and they shall be united, when, in the words of the prophet, "the kingdom shall belong to YHVH", the kingdom referring to the Community of Israel, to whom kingship is attached. Then "in that day shall the Lord (YHVH) be one and his name one" (Zech. XIV, 9). The verse continues: "It is like the precious oil upon the head that ran down upon the beard." This is the oil of the anointing of holiness which streams forth from the Ancient Holy One and which is found in that supernal stream which gives to the children the wherewithal to kindle the lights. That oil trickles on to the head of the King and from the head to the holy and venerable beard, and from there it streams on to all the garments of splendour in which the King is arrayed, as it is written, "that came down upon the skirt of his garments". These are the Crowns of the King in which is found the Holy Name: and it is through them that all the bounty and all the joy of the various worlds come down to bless. And this "good oil" [8a] was not available until the time when the service from below mounted on high so that they met one another.'

R. Aha and R. Judah lifted up their hands and thanked R. Abba. R. Aha then discoursed on the verse: "But God (Elohim) came to Abimelech in a dream of the night" (Gen. XX, 3). 'We also find that "Elohim" came to Balaam (Num. XXII, 9). How is it that "Elohim" came to Gentiles and not to Israel? The truth is, however, that, as we have learnt, the word "Elohim" in these passages refers to the celestial Power that was in charge of Abimelech or Balaam. So, when we read that Elohim said to Abimelech, "I also know", etc. (Gen. XX, 6), we interpret thus: "Although one higher than I am knows, yet I also know". Hence he continued: "And I also withheld thee from sinning against me." There is really no sinning against a [mere] celestial Power, but what he meant was that through the sins of a people on earth their guardian Power above is weakened, and deposed from his authority. We learn from this that through the sins of mankind injury is inflicted above, as it says, "And through your transgression your mother was put away" (Isa. L, 1). Hence an offering (korban) had to be brought in order to bring near (kareb) the upper world and the lower after they had been separated through the sins of men.'

R. Abba and R. Judah then came and thanked R. Aha. R. Judah then followed with the text: "Serve ye the Lord with gladness" (Ps. C, 1). 'We have learnt', he said, 'that all service of God must be performed with gladness and zest, otherwise it is not perfect. Now how is this possible in the case of the offering, which is brought as a sign of man's repentance for transgressing the precepts of the law? With what face can such a man stand before God ? Surely only with a contrite spirit and sorrowful heart. Where, then, is the joy and shouting? The truth is, however, that this was provided by the priests and Levites: rejoicing was carried out by the priest because he is far from chastisement and must ever show a more joyful countenance than the rest of the people. The singing, again, was carried out by the Levites, whose function it was. So the priest stood by him [8b] and found suitable words to unify in joy the Holy Name, while the Levites broke out into song. At the present day, when there are no offerings, if a man sins and returns to his Master with bitterness of heart, with sorrow, with weeping and contrition, how is he to provide joy and singing? The answer is an esoteric one. We have learnt: "A man should enter the synagogue to the extent of two gateways and then pray." This alludes to the words of David: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates" (Ps. XXIV, 7). These are Maon and Machon, the which are far within, the beginning of the grades Kindness (Hesed) and Fear (Pahad), and the gateways of the world. Therefore a man should in his prayer fix his mind on the Holy of Holies, which is the Holy Name, and then say his prayer. Others learn the same lesson thus: "Joy" is the Community of Israel, and Israel will one day come forth from the exile through this joy, as it is written, "For in joy ye shall go forth" (Isa. LV, 12), and therefore it says, "Serve ye the Lord with joy". It further says, "Come before him with song". This is the completion of the joy, for joy is in the heart and song in the mouth. This, then, is the fitting way for man to appear before his Master, and then it can be said to him, "Know that the Lord is God": he has now to unify the Holy Name and to link these two names so as to make them one, and this is the true service of the Holy One, blessed be He.' Said R. Aha and R. Abba to him: 'Assuredly it is so. Happy the righteous who study the Torah and know the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He.'

They accompanied R. Abba three miles. He quoted to them the verse: "But as for me, in the multitude of thy lovingkindness I will come into thy house", etc. (Ps. V, 8). 'This verse', he said, 'has been expounded to mean that before entering a house of prayer a man should consult Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who instituted prayers to the Holy One, blessed be He: Abraham as it is said, "I will come into thy house"; Isaac as it is said, "I will bow down toward thy holy temple"; Jacob as it says, "In thy fear". Of such a one it is written, "And he said to me, thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I shall be glorified" (Isa. XLIX, 3).'

IF HIS OBLATION BE A BURNT OFFERING FROM THE HERD. R. Jose asked: 'Why should there be three kinds of burnt-offering -- from the herd, from the flock, and from the fowl? Why is not one sufficient? The reason is that if a man can afford he brings an ox, and if he cannot afford an ox he brings a sheep, and if he cannot afford a sheep he brings a fowl; for God does not demand of a man more than he can perform.' R. Eleazar said: 'His offering was to correspond to his sin. A rich man puffed up with his wealth was to bring an ox, because his thoughts were likely to be the most sinful. A man of moderate means brought a sheep because he was not so prone to sin; while a poor man, who was the most timid of all, brought the smallest offering of all. And the offering of each was appraised by God at its true value.'

R. Eleazar asked R. Simeon, his father, the following question: 'We have learnt that famine comes to the world for three sins which are only found among the rich, because they are puffed up with their wealth, but not among the poor; how is it fair, [9a] then, that God should slay the poor (by famine) and not the rich, for now they will sin still more?' He replied: 'This is a good question, and the Companions have answered as follows. Of all the sons of man, none are so near to the Supreme King as those vessels which He uses, to wit, "a broken and contrite heart" (Ps. LI, 18), "he that is of a contrite and humble spirit" (Isa. LVII, 15). Now, when there is a famine and the poor are punished and suffer, and they weep and cry before the King, and God draws them nearer than ever, as it is written, "For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted" (Ps. XXII, 25), God then visits the sin for which famine has come on the world. Woe, then, to the sinners who have caused this, when the King bestirs himself to take note of the voice of the poor. Heaven protect us from them and their vengeance, for so it is written, "I will surely hear his cry" (Ex. XXII, 23), "and my wrath shall wax hot, etc." (Ibid.).

'The offering of the poor man is a small one, because his heart is downcast, and therefore even if he harbours sinful thoughts he is forgiven because he is sufficiently punished by his own distress and that of his household. A rich man once brought an offering of two pigeons to the priest. On seeing them, the priest said: "This is not an offering for you." He went home very sad. His people asked him why he was so sad, and he said: "Because the priest would not take my offering." "What was it?" they said. He told them it was two pigeons. They said: "That is an offering for a poor man, not for you. You must bring a proper one." "What is that?" he asked. They replied: "An ox." "Is the mere thought of sin then so serious ?" he said. "I vow that I will let no thought of sin enter my heart". From that day he used to spend the day in business, then go to bed at night, and on waking he used to call his brethren, and they taught him the Torah and he used to study it till daybreak. So, because he studied. they called him "the transformed Judah". One day R. Jesse the Elder found him dividing his money, half for the poor and half for merchandise to ship oversea, and after he had finished he sat down and studied the Torah.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:45 am

Part 2 of 3

'He expounded the verse: "And Saul said to the Kenites, etc." (2 Sam. XV, 6). 'The Kenites', he said, 'were the descendants of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, and were so called because they made for themselves a nest (ken) in the wilderness, in order to study the Torah; for the study of the Torah does not require luxuries or merchandise, but only labour day and night. Hence they left the luxuries of Jericho and removed to the wilderness. Now, of Jethro it is written, "And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God" (Ex. XVIII, 12). This shows that his offering [9b] was highly esteemed in the sight of God. and therefore "Aaron and all the elders came to eat with Moses' father-in-law before God" (Ibid.); from which we learn that when one brings an offering with true devotion. God comes to meet him. Now the offering of a poor man is highly esteemed before God, because he brings two offerings: one the actual sacrifice, and the other his own flesh and blood, because, though he has nothing to eat himself, he yet brings an offering. A poor man can bring a little flour and make atonement; for just as his own flesh and blood were burning (with hunger), so the flour is heated with the oil smeared on it. Here, too, we learn that any man may bring an offering on a baking-pan or a frying-pan because it is heated in the same way as he heated his flesh and blood with his evil passions and set all his limbs on fire. The essence of the offering is that it is analogous to the sin, and that a man should offer to God his desires and passions, for this is more acceptable than all. Blessed are the righteous that they bring this offering every day. Yet withal, the actual offering is better, because it brings blessings on all worlds.'

'He further discoursed on the verse: "Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, who dwelleth at Jerusalem, hallelujah" (Ps. CXXXV, 21). He said: 'Is the Lord blessed from Zion? Is He not blessed from the recondite supernal stream? What it means, however, is that the Lord is blessed when the Moon is illumined by the Sun and they draw near one another. Or again, it may mean that the place from which it is known that the Holy One, blessed be He, is blessed is Zion, as it is written: "For there the Lord commanded the blessing, etc." (Ps. CXXXlIl, 3).' Said R. Jesse to him: 'Blessed art thou that thou hast attained to all this, and blessed are all those that study the Torah.'

IF HIS OBLATION BE A SACRIFICE OF PEACE OFFERINGS. R. Judah discoursed here on the verse: "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters" (Gen. I, 6). 'When God created the world', he said, 'He created seven firmaments above, and in each one stars and constellations and ministers to serve, and Chariots one above the other to take upon themselves the yoke of the kingship of their Master. Some have six wings, some four wings; some have four faces, some two faces, and some one face; some are of fire, some of water, and some of air. The firmaments envelop one another like the skins of an onion, and every firmament trembles from the fear of its Master by whose command it moves or stops. Over all is the Holy One, blessed be He, who sustains all in His power and might. Similarly there are seven earths below, [10a] one higher than the other, the Land of Israel being the highest of all and Jerusalem being the highest point in the whole inhabited world. Our colleagues who dwell in the South have seen all this in the books of the ancients and in the Book of Adam. Between each earth and the next is a firmament which divides them from one another. Hence they all have separate names, among them being the Garden of Eden and Gehinnom. The creatures in them also are different, corresponding to those above, some with two faces, some with four, and some with one; and their aspects also differ. But, it may be said, are not all men descended from Adam, and did Adam then go down to each of these earths and beget sons there? The truth is, however, that man is found only in this highest earth which is called Tebel (inhabited world), and which is attached to the upper firmament and to the supreme Name. Hence man is superior to all other creatures. For, just as above there is a highest firmament which is the throne of the Holy One, blessed be He, so below on this Tebel is the king of all, to wit, man. As for the lower creatures, they are produced" from the moisture of the earth under the influence of the heavens, which brings forth creatures of various kinds, some with skins and some with shells -- red, black, or white, and so forth, none of them enduring for more than ten years or so. In the Book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder it is explained further that all the inhabited world is circular like a ball, so that some are above and some below, and the strange appearances of certain races are due to the nature of the air, but they live as long as other men. Further, there is a part of the world where it is light when in another part it is dark, so that some have night while others have day. Also there is a place where it is always day and where there is no night save for a very short time. All this account which is found in the books of the ancients and in the Book of Adam is confirmed by Scripture, which says: "I will give thanks unto thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, wonderful are thy works" (Ps. CXXXIX, 15), and again, "O Lord, how manifold are thy works" (Ps. CIV, 24). This mystery [7] has been entrusted to the masters of wisdom, [8] but is not known to those who mark out boundaries [9] Similarly the sea is full of different creatures, but in all worlds there is no ruler save man and God above him.'

R. Nehorai the Elder once went on a sea voyage. The ship was wrecked in a storm and all in it were drowned. He, however, by some miracle, went down to the bottom of the sea and found there an inhabited land where he saw strange human beings of diminutive size; they were reciting prayers, but he could not tell what they said. By another miracle he then came up again. He said: "Blessed are the righteous who study the Torah and know the most profound mysteries. Woe to those who dispute with them and do not accept their word." From that day, whenever he came into the house of study and heard the Torah being expounded, he would weep. When they asked him why he wept, he would say, "Because I was sceptical about the words of the Rabbis, and now I fear me for the judgement of the other world."

R. Judah, commenting on the verse, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters", said: "Did not that firmament divide the upper from the lower waters there would be conflict between them. But [10b] that firmament keeps the peace between them, and the world is established only on peace. God is also called "peace"; He is peace, His name is peace, and all is bound together in peace.' R. Abba said: 'I see that this supreme Holy Name is altogether peace and altogether one, and paths diverge from it in all directions.' [10] [11b]

IF HIS OBLATION BE A SACRIFICE OF PEACE OFFERINGS. R. Abba here quoted the verse: "Awake, O north wind, and come thou south, blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out" (S.S. IV, 15). 'The north wind', he said, 'refers to the burnt offerings which were killed on the north side (zafon) of the altar, because these atone for the thoughts which are in the recesses (mazpune) of a man's heart. The south wind refers to the peace offerings, which were killed on the south side of the altar, because they make peace between higher and lower, and between the various quarters of the world. Therefore the bringer also eats of them and has a share in them. Of all the offerings, none are so well beloved to God as the peace offerings, because they bring harmony to upper and lower. Superior to all, however, is the incense, because it is brought not for sin or trespass, but for joy, as it is written, "Oil and incense rejoice the heart" (Prov. XXVII, 9), according to our explanation. For this reason the incense was brought at the same time that the lamp was lit (Ex. xxx, 7). The peace offerings spread peace everywhere and allay strife and wrangling, but the incense fastens the bond of faith.' [11] [12b]

When R. Hizkiah was studying with R. Isaac, they once rose at midnight to study the Torah. R. Isaac discoursed on the verse: "Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord" (Ps. CXXXIV, 1). 'This verse', he said, 'is a tribute to all true believers. And who are the true believers? Those who study the Torah and know how to unify the Holy Name in the fitting manner. [13a] When a man rises at midnight to study the Torah and the North Wind awakes, then a certain Hind [12] arises and praises the Holy One, blessed be He. And with Her arise thousands and myriads [of angels] who all commence to praise the holy King. But they all fall into silence in order to listen to those who study the Torah, and they proclaim: "Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord", as much as to say, "You bless the Lord, you praise the holy King, you crown the King." And that Hind adorns herself with that man and stands before the King and says: "See the son with whom I am come before thee, with whom I approach thee." Their blessing is a real blessing, as it says, "Lift up your hands in (to) holiness" (Ibid.) What is "holiness"? The supernal Place from which issues the source of the "deep stream". When a man has come so far, they proclaim over him, "The Lord bless thee from Zion" (Ibid.); from the place in which the Community of Israel is blessed, from there He will furnish thee with blessings. Also, "thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem" (Ps. CXXVIII, 5), to wit, the blessings that reach it from the King through that holy grade of the Righteous One.'

IF A SOUL SIN, ETC. R. Jose said: 'How greatly should men take heed not to sin before their Master, for every day a herald goes forth proclaiming, Turn your hearts, ye peoples, to the holy King, be on your guard against sin, arouse the holy soul which He has given you from the celestial holy place. For so we have learnt, that when the Holy One, blessed be He, draws forth a soul to send it down to earth, He impresses upon it many warnings and threats to keep His commandments, and He also takes it through a thousand-and- eight worlds to see the glory of those who have devoted themselves to the Torah, and who now stand before the King in a robe of splendour in the form which they possessed in this world, beholding the glory of the King and crowned with many diadems. When its time comes to descend to earth, it makes its abode in the terrestrial Paradise for thirty days to see the glory of the Master of the righteous, and then ascends to their abode above and afterwards comes down to earth. [13b] Before it enters into the body of a man, the holy King crowns it with seven crowns. If it sins in this world and walks in darkness, the Torah is grieved for it and says, All this honour and all this perfection has the holy King delivered to the soul, and she has sinned before Him! And what if she does sin? We learn the answer', continued R. Jose, 'from the verse which says, "Until the day be cool and the shadows flee away" (S.S. II, 17). "Until the day be cool": this is a warning to the soul to repent and purify itself before the day of this world shall cool off and be followed by that awful day on which God shall call her to account when she departs from this world. "And the shadows flee away": this refers to the secret known to the Companions, that when a man's time comes to leave this world, his shadow deserts him. R. Eleazar says that man has two shadows, one larger and one -smaller, and when they are together, then he is truly himself. Therefore a man should review his actions and rectify them before his Master and confess his sins, because God is called merciful and gracious, and He receives those who return to Him. Hence he should repent before the shadows flee away, for if he only does so when he is already under arrest, this is indeed repentance, but not so acceptable. For when the day arrives for the soul to depart from the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, looks sadly at her and says: "If a soul sin although it hath heard the voice of adjuration" -- for did I not adjure her by My Name not to be false to Me, and testify against her when she went down to earth? "And he is a witness" (Ibid.): truly so, for many times I testified against him to keep my commandments. Therefore since the man is a witness, when he returns to the King and either "sees" or "knows" -- sees, that is, his sins and ponders on them, or knows for certain that he has committed some transgression -- then, "if he do not utter it", that is, if he do not confess his sins before his Master, when he leaves this world "he shall bear his iniquity". And if that is so, how shall the doors be opened to him and how shall he stand before his Master? Therefore it is written, "When a soul sinneth, etc."'

R. Abba cited the verse: "All this is come upon us, yet we have not forgotten thee, neither have our steps declined from thy way" (Ps. XLIV, 19). 'The word "this"', he said, ·where we should have expected "these things", alludes to the celestial judgements; all these, says the Psalmist, have come upon us, and yet we have not forgotten the words of the Torah. From this we learn that whoever forgets the words of the Torah and is not willing to study is like one who forgets God, for all the Torah is the name of the Holy One, blessed be He. And whoever deals falsely with the sign of the holy covenant which is imprinted on him is like one who deals falsely with the name of the King, for the very name of the King is stamped on him. Further, the Torah is bound up with this, and whoever keeps this covenant is like one who keeps the whole Torah, and whoever is false to it is like one who is false to the whole Torah. So, until Abraham was circumcised it was not written of him that he kept the whole Torah, but after he was circumcised it says of him: "Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws" (Gen. XXVI, 5). So, too, with Isaac [14a]; and Joseph, too, because he guarded this covenant, was rewarded with the ox, which is the first of offerings, as it says: "The firstling of his ox, majesty is his" (Deut. XXXIII, 17).' Said R. Judah to him: 'Why was he blessed with that which is of the left and not of the right, as it is written, "The face of an ox was on the left" (Ezek. I, 10)?' He replied: 'That he might avert the punishment of the sins of Jeroboam.' Said R. Judah: 'I have learnt a secret relating to this verse, that the word "ox" here alludes to a certain supernal grade, the partner of the one elsewhere called "cow", and that Joseph, because he guarded the covenant, became attached to these two grades.' Said R. Abba: 'This shows that whoever guards this sign attaches to himself these two grades to protect him and to crown him with heavenly glory.' R. Simeon said: 'A man who begets a son becomes linked with the Shekinah, which is the gateway to all the heavenly doors, the door which is linked with the Holy Name. Also, the blood which flows from the child is preserved before the Almighty, and when punishment impends over the world, God looks at that blood and delivers the world. We have learnt that through that blood the world is based on lovingkindness (hesed), and all worlds are established.' So R. Simeon expounded the words: "If not for my covenant day and night, etc." (Jer. XXXIII, 25), saying: 'There are two Crowns linked together, they'-'being the gateway to all other Crowns; one is Justice and the other is Mercy, one male and one female, one white and one red. This covenant takes hold of both of them, lovingkindness and judgement, day and night. Hence it is called "day and night", because it takes hold on both. Thus he who is able to keep this covenant without fail and offends not against it all his days takes hold of day and night and is rewarded in two worlds, in this world and the world to come. Therefore Abraham was called "perfect" (Gen. XVII, 1), but not before he had attained both, day and night, and this was only after he was circumcised.'

Said R. Eleazar to him: 'We have learnt that when a proselyte is circumcised and enters under the wings of the Shekinah, he is called ger zedek (a proselyte of righteousness), but no more, which means that he is privileged to enter into [14b] the crown of righteousness, and you say that he attains to "day and night"?' He replied: 'Eleazar, my son, you cannot compare one who comes from the holy root and the stock of truth to one who comes from an evil stock and from an abhorred root. Of Israel it is written, "I planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed" (Jer. II, 21), whereas of the idolatrous nations it is written, "whose flesh is as the flesh of asses and whose issue is like the issue of horses" (Ezek. XXIII, 20). Therefore Israel, who are holy, the seed of truth, the stock which has been established at Mount Sinai, where all their filth was removed from them, all enter into the covenant of day and night to be wholly perfected, but for the other nations it is hard to remove their pollution, even after three generations. Hence the expression, "proselyte of zedek [13] (righteousness)". 'And so', said Rab Hamnuna the Elder; 'Gentiles before they are circumcised abide in the lower crowns, which are not holy, and an impure spirit rests on them. When they are converted, and circumcised, they abide in a holy crown which is above the lower crowns, and a holy spirit rests upon them. But the Israelites who are holy sons of holy parents who have been established at Mount Sinai and have entered into the perfect faith, so soon as they are circumcised attain to all.'

R. Jose said: 'It is written, "For this is as the waters of Noah unto me" (Isa. LIV, 9). Why have we here the expression "waters of Noah" and not "waters of the flood" ? The reason is that when mankind are sinful and there is a righteous man in the world, God speaks with him in order that he may pray for mankind and obtain forgiveness for them. God first promises to save him alone and destroy the rest. Now the proper thing for a righteous man to do at such a time is to forget himself and espouse the cause of the whole world in order to appease God's wrath against them, as Moses did when Israel sinned. When God, however, said to Noah, "The end of all flesh is come [15a] before me", Noah replied, "And what wilt thou do to me ?", to which God replied, "I will establish my covenant with thee, make thee an ark of gopher wood". So Noah did not pray for the world, and the waters came down and destroyed mankind, and therefore they are called "the waters of Noah".'

R. Jose continued: 'What is the meaning of "this (zoth) is to me", in the verse quoted? Said the Holy One, blessed be He, The waters of Noah have caused me to reveal zoth in the world, as it is written, "zoth (this) is the sign of my covenant with them, my bow have I set in the heaven" (Gen. IX, 12, 13), as much a3 to say, there is none who heeds the glory of My Name which is alluded to by the word zoth. Hence it is one of the signs of a saintly and virtuous man that the rainbow does not appear in his days and the world does not require this sign while he is alive. Such a one is he who prays for the world and shields it, like Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai, in whose days the world never required the sign of the rainbow, for he was himself a sign. For if ever punishment was decreed against the world he could annul it. One day he was sitting at the gate of Lydda when he lifted up his eyes and saw the light of the sun darkened three times, and black and yellow spots appearing in the sun. He said to his son, R. Eleazar: 'Follow me, my son, and let us see what happens, for of a surety some punishment is decreed above, and God desires to let me know. For such a decree is kept in suspense thirty days, and God does not carry it out before making it known to the righteous, as it is written, "For the Lord will do nothing but he revealeth his secret to his servants the prophets" (Amos III, 7).' They came into a vineyard, where they saw a serpent advancing like a coil of fire along the ground. R. Simeon shook his garments and brought his hand down on the head of the serpent, which then came to a halt, though its tongue was still moving. He said to it: "Serpent, serpent, go and tell that supernal Serpent that R. Simeon is still alive." It then put its head into a hole in the ground. He said: "I ordain that just as this serpent has returned to its hole in the ground, so the supernal one shall return to the hollow of the great abyss." R. Simeon then began to pray. As they were praying they heard a voice say: "Ye ministers of evil, return to your place; ye band of ruffians, abide not in the world, for R. Simeon ben Yochai annuls your power. Happy art thou, R. Simeon, that thy Master is solicitous for thy honour at all times, above that of all other men." By this time he saw that the sun was shining again and the blackness had passed. He said: "Surely the world is safe again." He then went into his house and expounded the verse: "For the Lord is righteous, he loveth righteousness, the upright shall behold his face" (Ps. XI, 8). 'God', he said, 'loves to do righteous acts when the upright behold his face, that is, pray to him for their needs. According to a more esoteric explanation, the verse means that the 'days of antiquity' (yeme kedem) of the Ancient Unrevealed Holy One and the 'days of old' (yeme olam) of the Small of Countenance, which are called 'his face', see with direct glance the most precious of sights. For so we have learnt, that when the Holy One, blessed be He, looks upon the works of men and sees that they are good, then the Ancient Holy One is revealed in the Small of Countenance, and all the countenance of the latter beholds the hidden countenance and is wholly blessed, since they look at one another directly without turning to the right or left, [15b] and they water one another until all worlds are blessed and all become one, so that 'the Lord is one and his name is one'. But when sin is rife in the world, the Ancient Holy One is hidden and they do not look at one another face to face, and punishment is let loose on the world and the thrones are cast down and the Ancient of Days is hidden and does not appear, so that sinners turn mercy into judgement.

'We have learnt as follows. From the side of the Mother issue emissaries of punishment who are armed with the clubs of Geburah (Severity), and prevail over Mercy, and then the worlds are defective and there is conflict between them. But when men amend their ways below, punishment is mitigated and removed, and mercy is awakened and prevails over the evil which arose from stern judgement, and then there is joy and consolation, as it is written, "And the Lord was comforted of the evil" (Ex. XXXII, 14). When judgement is mitigated, all the Crowns return to their places and the keys are restored to the Mother, and this is called repentance (teshubah, lit. returning), and the world is forgiven, since the Mother is in perfect joy. [14] [ [100]

R. Abba was once sitting before R. Simeon, when R. Eleazar entered. R. Simeon thereupon quoted the verse: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, etc." (Ps. XCII, 12). 'The palm', he said, 'is the slowest of all trees to mature, taking seventy years. The reason why the righteous is compared here to the palm tree is one which the Companions are reluctant to reveal, although it is indicated by the Scripture. It has to do with the exile of Babylon, when the 8hekinah did not return to its home till seventy years had passed. The "righteous" here is the Holy One, blessed be He, as in the verse, "For the Lord is righteous, he loveth righteousness" (Ps. XI, 8). He is also compared to a cedar, as in the verse, "Excellent as the cedars" (8.8. 15). "He shall grow in Lebanon"; this is the supernal Eden, of which it is written, "No eye hath seen, O God, save thine" (Isa. LXIV, 4). This Cedar shall grow in that exalted place; and this shall be in the last exile, when God shall be like that cedar which is long in coming up, but once it comes up grows in a day, and at the beginning of the next day already provides a shade against the sun. "They shall be planted in the house of the Lord", at the time of the Messiah; "and flourish in the courts of our God, at the resurrection of the dead; "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age", on the day when the world will be waste, "and they shall be full of sap and green" afterwards; [16b] and why all this? "To show that the Lord is upright, he is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him."'

R. Simeon further discoursed on the verse: "A froward man scattereth abroad strife, and a whisperer separateth chief friends" (Prov. XVI, 28). "'The froward man scattereth abroad strife", as we have said, that sinners cause a blemish above; "and a whisperer separateth his friend", that is, he separateth the Matrona from the Holy One, blessed be He, so that He is not called One, for He is not called One save when they are in union. Woe to the wicked who cause separation above! And happy are the righteous who stablish the upper realm, and happy are the penitent who restore all things to their places. Hence we have learnt that to the place reserved for penitents even the wholly righteous cannot attain. For the former are established in an exceeding high place, the place from which the Garden is watered, whereas the latter are established only in the place called "righteous". The former bring the water from the supernal place of the deep river to that place which is called "righteous", and the latter transmit it from that place where they abide to this world. Hence the former are higher and the latter lower. Happy is the lot of the penitent, and happy is the lot of the wholly righteous, since through them the world is able to exist.' [17a]

IF THE ANOINTED PRIEST SHALL SIN SO AS TO BRING GUILT ON THE PEOPLE. R. Abba cited here the verse: "Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth ... if thou know not, o fairest among women, go thy way forth, etc.' (S.S. 1,7,8). 'The Companions', he said, 'have explained these verses in reference to Moses at the time when he departed from the world, as it says, "Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation ... who shall go out before them, etc." (Num. XXVII, 16). We may also, however, suppose them to be addressed by the Community of Israel to the Holy King. In the Book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder it is written that so long as the Community of Israel is in the Holy One, blessed be He, the latter, so to speak, is complete and pleased with himself from sucking the milk of the supernal Mother, and from that draught He waters all the others and gives them suck. We have learnt also that R. Simeon said that as long as the Community of Israel is in the Holy One, blessed be He, the latter is complete and joyful, and blessings abide in Him and issue from Him to all the others, but when the Community of Israel is not in the Holy One, blessed be He, then, as it were, blessings are withheld from Him and from all the others. The secret of the matter is that wherever male and female are not found together, blessings do not rest. Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, laments and weeps, as it says, "The Lord shall mightily roar over his fold" (Jer. XXV, 30). And when [17b] the Community of Israel went into exile, she said to Him, "Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, how shalt thou feed thyself from the deep river that ever flows, how shalt thou feed thyself from the light of the supernal Eden, how shalt thou feed all the others that depend on thee, just as I too was fed from thee every day and water all those below, and Israel too were fed by me? And now how shall I be as one that is veiled, as one that fainteth without blessings for lack of the blessings that I require and have not? How shall I be able to lead without feeding the flocks of thy companions, to wit, Israel, the children of the patriarchs, who are a holy chariot above? To which the Holy One, blessed be He, answers: Leave this to me, for the secret thereof is with me. But if thou knowest not, here is a counsel for thee. Go thy way by the footsteps of the flock, to wit, the righteous who are trodden underfoot, and for whose sake I will give thee strength to rise, and feed thou thy kids, to wit, the school children for whose sake the world is preserved, and who give strength to the Community of Israel in exile, beside the shepherds' tents, the schools in which the Torah is ever to be found. Or the last words may be explained thus. When there are in the world righteous men and children learning the Torah, then the Community of Israel can exist with them in exile, but if not, God forbid, then neither She nor they can endure. And if there are any righteous, then they suffer first [for the sins of the age], and if not, then those kids for whose sake the world is preserved suffer first, and God takes them from the world although there is no sin in them. And not only this, but He also banishes from Himself the Community of Israel and She goes into exile. Hence it is written, "If the anointed High Priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people", or rather, "on account of the guilt of the people", the word yeheta (sin), meaning here "withhold his kindness and exercise judgement."'

R. Isaac cited the verse: "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel thy servants" (Ex. XXXII, 13). 'Why', he asked, 'is it not written, "and Isaac"? The reason is, as we have learnt, that everywhere the "left" is embraced in the "right", and the right has been strengthened so that it can embrace the left, and therefore the word Isaac is not separated from Abraham. But the text goes on, "and Israel", because Jacob clasped both of them and was perfect in all. The verse proceeds: "To whom thou swarest by thy own self." God swore to the patriarchs by the Fathers [15] above, by those who abide "in thee". "Which I said"; that is, "I willed", as in the verse: "The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness" (I Kings VIII, 12). "And they shall inherit it for ever" (lit. for a world): this is the supernal world to which this earth is attached and from which it is nourished, and if this earth is put away, why is it? Because of the iniquity of the people.'

IF THE ANOINTED PRIEST SIN. R. Isaac said: 'This is the priest on earth who has been appointed for divine service. If a sin is found in him, then verily it brings guilt on the whole people, and woe to them who are relying upon him I [18a] Similarly, if sin is found in the reader of a congregation, woe to those who are relying upon him!' R. Judah said: 'All the more so the priest, at whose hand all Israel and upper and lower beings are waiting to be blessed. For, as we have learnt, when the priest began to recite the formulas and to bring the offering, all were blessed and joyful. The Right began to waken, the Left was merged in the Right; all were linked together and united, so that through the priest heaven and earth were blessed. Hence he had to bring an offering for himself, that his sin might be atoned for.' Said R. Jose: 'We have learnt that through the priest a man's sin is atoned for when he brings the offering. But if the priest himself sins, who can bring an offering and atone for him, seeing that he is become corrupt and is not fit to be a source of blessing ?' Said R. Judah: 'But is it not written, "And he shall make atonement for himself and for his house" (Lev. XVI, 6)?' Said R. Hiya: 'We know that the high priest was attached to a certain Place, and the deputy high priest and the ordinary priest to another. Therefore another priest had to bring his offering first that he might ascend to the Place to which he was by right attached, and there atone for his sin. If this is not enough, then the high priest brings his own offering, and then the angels all assemble to atone for his sin and the Holy King assents.'

Once as R. Eleazar and R. Abba were sitting together, the former said: 'I observe that my father will not listen to any man reading the prayers on New Year and the Day of Atonement unless he has watched him three days previously to purify him; for R. Simeon used to say, "Through the prayer of the man whom I have purified the world receives atonement." He was still more particular not to accept the shofar [16] blowing of any man who was not well acquainted with the rules of the shofar and their inner significance.

'On this day (of New Year) Isaac is crowned, and becomes the head of the patriarchs.' Said R. Abba: 'We read the portion of Isaac (Gen. XXI, XXII) on this day, because on this day he was bound below and was also united to the One above. R. Eleazar said: 'On this day Isaac crowned Abraham with glory, as it says, "And the Lord exalted (nissah, lit. proved) Abraham" (Gen. XXII, 1), because the Right Hand was completed and perfected.' R. Abba said: 'Had not the judgement of Isaac been passed through the place where Jacob abides and annulled there, it would have gone ill with the world. But when it entered into the place of Jacob, and Jacob laid hold [18b] on it, then the fire sank and the heat was cooled. It is as if a man in a great passion seizes his weapons and goes out to kill someone, but a certain wise man meets him at the door and detains him, and while they are arguing with one another his anger cools down, and instead of going out to kill, he only goes out to reprove. Who was it on whom the man vented his passion? Surely the man who stood at the door! So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: "My sons, fear not, for I stand at the door; only brace yourselves up on this day and give Me strength. And through what? Through the shofar. For if the sound of the shofar is properly produced and listened to with devotion, then it mounts aloft and the patriarchs crown themselves with it and stand in the tent of Jacob. Hence strict attention should be paid to the sound of the shofar. Every sound of the shofar ascends to a different firmament, all the denizens of which give place to the sound, saying, "And the Lord uttereth his voice before his army" (Joel II, 11). And that voice remains in the firmament until another voice comes and joins it, and then they both ascend together to another firmament. And when all the voices from below are collected and ascend to the highest firmament where the Holy King is, they stand before the Holy King and then the thrones are set and another throne, that of Jacob, is firmly established. In the Book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder we find; Prayer and the sound of the shofar which are produced by a virtuous man with his heart and soul mount above, and the accusers above are thrust away before it and cannot face it. Happy are the righteous who know how to be truly devout before their Master and to establish the world on this day with the sound of the shofar; hence it is written, "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound (of the shofar)" (Ps. LXXXIX, 15). On this day the congregation must look out for a man without blame who knows the ways of the King and how to honour Him, that he may pray for them and transmit the sound of the shofar to all worlds with concentration of thought, with wisdom, and with devotion, that through him chastisement may be removed from the world. Alas for those whose minister is not fitting, for through him their sins will be called to mind. But if he is truly virtuous, then the people are justified through him, and punishment is removed from them through him.' Said R. Eleazar: 'For this reason the priest and Levite were examined as to their character, and if they were not found satisfactory they were not allowed to minister. And so, too, with the members of the Sanhedrin before they were allowed to judge.'

AND IF THE WHOLE CONGREGATION SHALL ERR, ETC. R. Simeon cited in this connection the verse: "Rise up, ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice, etc." (Isa. XXXII, 9). He said: 'A man should be ever solicitous for the honour of his Master in order that his son may be without flaw. For when God created man, He created [19a] him without flaw, as it is written, "God made man upright" (yashar, lit. straight) (Eccles. VII, 20). The word "man" (adam) means male and female, the female being included in the male, and hence it says "upright". Now in the depth of the great abyss there is a certain hot fiery female spirit named Lilith, who at first cohabited with man. For when man was created and his body completed, a thousand spirits from the left side assembled round that body, each endeavouring to enter, until at last a cloud descended and drove them away and God said, "Let the earth bring forth a living soul" (Gen. I, 24), and it then brought forth a spirit to breathe into man, who thus became complete with two sides, as it says, "And he breathed in his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living soul" (Gen. II, 7). When man arose, his female was affixed to his side, and the holy spirit in him spread to each side, thus perfecting itself. Afterwards God sawed the man in two and fashioned his female and brought her to him like a bride to the canopy. When Lilith saw this she fled, and she is still in the cities of the sea coast trying to snare mankind. And when the Almighty will destroy the wicked Rome, He will settle Lilith among the ruins, since she is the ruin of the world, as it is written: "For there Lilith shall settle and find her a place of rest" (Isa. XXXIV, 14). In ancient books it says that she fled from man before this, but we have learnt differently, that she associated with man until this soul (neshamah) was placed in him, and then she fled to the seaside, where she tries to harm mankind.

'The remedy is this. When a man unites with his wife, he should sanctify his heart to his Master and say: "She that is wrapped in a robe is here. Thou shalt not enter nor take out; it is neither of thee nor of thy lot. Return, return, the sea is heaving, its waves await thee. I cleave to the holy portion, I am wrapped in the holiness of the King." He should then cover his head and the head of his wife for a short time. In the book which Ashmedai gave to King Solomon, it says that he should then sprinkle clean water round the bed. If a woman is suckling a child she should not join her husband while the child is awake, nor give it suck afterwards until time enough has elapsed for walking two miles, or one mile if the child cries for milk. If all this is done, Lilith will never be able to harm them. Happy are the righteous whom God has taught the secrets of the Torah, of heaven and earth, and all for the sake of the Torah, for whoever studies the Torah is crowned with the crowns of the holy Name, and knows secret ways and the mysteries of heaven and earth, and never comes to harm.

'Now [19b] on that day they were commanded concerning a certain tree and disobeyed the command. And because the woman sinned first it was decreed that the husband should rule over her. And from that time, whenever men sin before God those women from the side of severe judgement are charged to rule over them -- those who are called "the flame of the revolving sword" (Gen. III, 24), which takes the shape sometimes of males and sometimes of females, as elsewhere stated. Alas for the world when those women have sway! When the prophet saw Israel perverting their ways and sinning before their Master, he exclaimed: "Ye women that are at ease, how can ye rest, how can ye sit idle in the world? Rise!" as has been explained elsewhere.

'... [17] It was only said in the sense in which it was applied to Deborah. There is a dictum: Woe to the man at whose table the wife says grace. So when we read that "Deborah judged Israel at that time", we might exclaim, "Woe to the generation which could only find a female to be its judge!" See now. There were two women in the world who composed praises to God such as the men never equalled, namely, Hannah and Deborah. Hannah opened the gate of faith to the world in the words, "He raiseth up the poor from the dust, etc." (I Sam. II, 8). "To make them sit with princes"; to wit, in the place where the princes, that is the patriarchs, sit above. According to another explanation, however, this refers to Samuel, who was placed on a par with Moses and Aaron. "And make them inherit a throne of glory": this refers to Samuel, who placed two kings on the throne. Or it may refer to God, who causes His servants to inherit His throne. "They that strive with the Lord shall be broken in pieces": that is to say, when judgement prevails over mercy, if then the Holy One, blessed be He, is blessed from the Source of the River, then mercy prevails and judgement is checked. "Against them he shall thunder in heaven": that is, when the dew from the Ancient Holy One shall rest upon Him and fills His head in the place called "heaven", then He breaks the power of mighty judgements. "And he shall give strength to his king": this is the Holy One, blessed be He; "and exalt the horn of his anointed": this is the Community of Israel. Deborah likewise praised the Holy King, as it is written: "Lord, when thou wentest forth out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom" (Judges V, 1) -- speaking in the mystery of wisdom until she began to praise herself, saying, "Until that I Deborah arose, that I arose, a mother in Israel." Then the spirit of prophecy left her, so that she had to say to herself, "Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song" (Ibid. 12). All this happened when the men were sinful and not worthy that the spirit of prophecy should rest upon them.' [20a]

AND IF THE WHOLE CONGREGATION OF ISRAEL SHALL ERR, ETC. This has been explained to mean, "err in interpreting the law". The "congregation" ('adath) refers to those who were in Jerusalem, from whence instruction went forth to all the people, so that if those who were there erred the whole people erred. AND THE THING BE HID FROM THE EYES OF THE ASSEMBLY: the "eyes" of the assembly are the Sanhedrin who were appointed over Israel.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:46 am

Part 3 of 3

R. Hiya and R. Jose were once walking together when the latter said: 'Let us expound words of the Torah, words of the Ancient of Days.' R. Hiya thereupon began with the verse: "I acknowledge my sin unto thee, etc." (Ps. XXXII, 5). He said: 'From this we learn that a man who conceals his sins and does not confess them before the Holy King and beg for mercy is not allowed to enter the door of repentance. But if he states them openly before God, then God has pity on him and mercy prevails over judgement, all the more so if he weeps, for tears open all doors. Thus the confession of sin brings honour to the King by making mercy prevail over judgement. There seems to be a certain redundancy of expression in this verse, as it would have been sufficient to say, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"; and here, too, we should have expected "to thee" instead of "to the Lord". But, indeed, these words, like all David's words, were uttered in the holy spirit. He was addressing the Kingdom of Heaven [Malkuth), for she is the intermediary between earth and heaven, and whoso has a petition of the King must make it known to her first. Hence David said: "I will acknowledge my sin to thee, the Kingdom of Heaven, and mine iniquity have I not hid from the Righteous One of the universe, and I said, I will confess my sin to the Lord, to wit, the Holy King to whom all peace belongs." Then it goes on: "And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin"; this was in the highest realm, the place where the Ancient Holy One abides. Thus this verse includes all; and in the same way, whoever prays to the King should unify the Holy Name in his thought, ranging from lower to upper, and from upper to lower, and linking all together, and then his prayer will be granted.' Said R. Jose: 'Who has the skill to pray like King David, who used to keep watch at the gate of the King l' Said R. Hiya to him: 'Assuredly it is so, and therefore the Torah has taught us the ways [20b] of the Holy King that we may know how to seek him, as it says, "After the Lord your God ye shall walk" (Deut. XIII, 4).'

R. Jose then discoursed on the verse: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and weeping, etc." (Jer. XXXI, 15). 'We have learnt', he said, 'that on the day when the Sanctuary on earth was laid waste and Israel went into captivity with millstones on their necks and their hands bound behind them, and the Community of Israel was banished from the house of her Husband to follow them, when She came down She said: "I will go in front and weep for my home and my children and my Husband." When she came down and saw her home devastated and the blood of saints spilled in its midst and the holy shrine and temple burnt, She lifted up her voice, and higher and lower angels fell a-quaking and the voice ascended to the place where the King abode, and the King was minded to turn the world into chaos again. Thereupon many armies and hosts went down to meet Her, but She would not accept consolation. Hence it is written, "A voice is heard in Ramah, Rachel weeping for her children because they are not"; or, as we should rather translate, "He is not" (enennu), referring to the Holy King who had gone aloft and was not in her midst.' R. Hiya asked: 'From what place did She begin to go into exile?' He replied: 'From the Sanctuary, where Her abode was. Afterwards She went all round the Land of Israel, and when She left it She came into the wilderness and remained there three days. She took Her armies and hosts and the denizens of the King's palace and exclaimed regarding herself: "How doth she sit solitary" (Lam. I, 1).' R. Hiya and R Jose wept. Said R Jose: 'Israel were not exiled from their land, nor was the Temple destroyed until they were all sinful before the King, the heads of the people being foremost in sin, as it says: "O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths" (Isa. III, 12): for, when the heads of the people sin, all the rest follow them.' R Hiya learnt the same lesson from the verse, "And if the whole congregation of Israel shall err". 'Why do they err?' he said. 'Because "the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly", the "eyes" being the leaders whom all the rest follow.'

They then went on their way and came across a certain grassy sward, with a stream running past, so they sat down there. As they were sitting, a bird flew past them with a rustling noise. Said R Hiya: 'Let us get up, for assuredly mountain-diggers [18] are here.' So they got up and went on. Turning their heads they saw robbers running after them. Providentially they saw in front of them a rock with a cave in it, so they went in and sat there the whole of that day and night. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: "Therefore fear not, O Jacob my servant ... for lo, I will save thee from afar" (Jer. XXX, 10). 'The word "afar" here', he said, 'is used in the same sense as in the words, "From afar the Lord appeared unto me" (Ibid. XXXI, 3), and refers to the deep source of the River, the place where it issues forth. "Jacob shall return": Jacob is here a name of the Holy One, blessed be He, who will yet return to join the Community of Israel. "And shall be quiet": this refers to Yesod. "And at ease": to make his abode there. "And none shall make him afraid": of Isaac (Geburah). [21a] And now the Holy One, blessed be He, has delivered us from afar and hidden us in this place in quiet and ease, and there is none to make us afraid; for when God does a miracle He does it completely.'

R Jose discoursed on the verse: "And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me then I will go, etc." (Judges IV, 8). He said: 'Barak reasoned thus: Because the holy spirit rests upon her I shall be delivered through her merit and shall come to no harm. Now if Barak could feel safe in dependence on a female, how much more so we who have the Torah with us, which is the name of the Holy King!'

So they remained in the cave all that day. When night came, the moon shone into the cave, and two merchants passed by with asses laden with wine and food for themselves. They said to one another: 'Let us stop here, and give food and drink to the asses, and go into the cave.' Said the other: 'Before we go in, explain this verse.' He said: 'Which one?' 'I refer', he said, 'to the verse, "I will praise thee for ever because thou hast done" (Ps. LII, 10). Done what? It also says, "Because thou art good in the presence of thy saints" (Ibid.). Why only in their presence and not that of others ?' He could not give him an answer. 'Alas', he said, 'that for the sake of my business I have neglected the Holy One, blessed be He.' R. Hiya and R. Jose, who heard them from the cave, rejoiced. 'Did not I tell you', said R Hiya, 'that when God does a miracle He does not do it by halves?' So they went out, and R. Hiya immediately addressed them with the verse: "Peace, peace, to him that is far off and to him that is near" (Isa. LVII, 19). 'The near and the far', he said, 'are one and the same, namely, the penitent who was first far from God and has been brought near. Also, when a man is far from the Torah he is far from God, but if he draws near to the Torah, God draws him near to Himself. Now, therefore, join us and come into the cave.' So the merchants joined them, having first tethered their asses and given them food. Then they all went out to the mouth of the cave, and one of the merchants said: 'Since you are scholars, explain to us this verse: "I will give thee thanks for ever because thou hast done [made] and I will hope, etc."' R. Hiya answered: 'It means, because thou hast made the world; for because of this world which God has made and established, man must thank Him every day. As for the words, "for thou art good before thy saints", this is indeed so, since the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is good before the righteous but not before the wicked, who spurn it every day and do not study the Torah.' Said the other: 'This is all very good, but I have heard a word from behind the wall, as they say, which I am afraid to disclose.' Thereupon R. Hiya and R Jose said to him: 'Speak out, for the Torah is not an inheritance for one place only.' So he said to them: 'One day when I went to Lydda, on entering the town I stood behind the wall of a house in which was R. Simeon, and I heard him expound this verse, "I will praise thee because thou hast done", thus. The words "I will give praise to thee" were addressed by King David to the Holy One, blessed be He, for that last world which He has made [Malkuth]; for David attached himself to that world and through it attained to kingship. "I will wait on thy name, for it is good": this is the Holy One, blessed be He, when unified with that world which is called "good". And when is it called good? When it is in the presence of thy saints, or rather, "lovingkindnesses'', [19] for when these are filled from the goodness of the stream issuing from the Ancient Holy One, then Yesod is called "good", and then He [Yesod] establishes this latter world and all is blessed. Hence David waited for this grade to illumine the world to which he was attached.' R. Hiya and R Jose came up to him and kissed him on his head. Said R. [21b] Hiya: 'Who shall cover thine eye in the dust, O R. Simeon, for thou art in thy place and thou shakest the highest mountains, and even the birds of the heaven rejoice at thy words. Alas for the world when thou shalt depart from it!'

The man resumed: 'At the same time I heard him expound the verse, "Now therefore, O God, hearken unto the prayer of thy servant and to his supplications ... for my Lord's (Adonai) sake" (Dan. IX, 17). If this name were the highest, it would be in place here, as though one were to say, Do it for the sake of the king. But we know that this name signifies only the place of judgement, from which judgement issues to the world. Can a man say to a king, Do for the sake of thy servant or something less than thyself? The truth is, however, that this name prepares the house for the King and the sanctuary below, and when the sanctuary is established below, this name is established above; hence it is as though one said to the king, Build this house and this palace, that the Matrona may not have to abide without the palace.'

R Hiya and R. Jose were beside themselves with gladness on that night. After they had eaten, the other merchant said: 'I will now tell you something on which I have been meditating this day, in connection with the verse, "A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah" (Ps. LXIII, 1). David said this psalm when he was fleeing from his father-in- law. Why did he say, "Elohim, thou art my God" (Ibid. 2)? Because he was always attached to Geburah. He went on, "I will seek thee early." How, we may ask, could David seek God early in a distant land, when he was exiled from the land where the Shekinah abides? This shows, that though he was driven from there, he did not cease to seek the Holy One, blessed be He. "My soul thirsteth for thee", because my soul and my body yearn for thee that I may appear before thee and I am not able, being in a dry and weary land where no water is; for so any land is called where the Shekinah does not abide.'

Said R Hiya and R. Jose: 'Verily, our way is made straight before us.' So they went into the cave and slept. At midnight they heard the cries of wild animals in the wilderness, so they got up. Said R. Hiya: 'It is time to assist the Community of Israel in praising the King. Let each of us say something which he has learnt of the Torah. So they all sat down and R Hiya commenced with the text, "For the Chief Musician, set to Ayeleth Hashahar, a psalm of David" (Ps. XXII, 1). '"Ayeleth Hashahar (lit. hind of the morning)" " he said, 'is the Community of Israel, who is called "a loving hind and a pleasant doe" (Prov. V, 19). Is she then a hind of the morning only and not of all the day? What it means, however, is a hind from that place which is called " dawn", of which it says, "his going forth is as sure as the morning" (Hos. VI, 3). See now. When night falls, the doors of the upper world are closed, and those below fall to rest, and the distant ones (demons) awake and fly about and flit around the bodies of men, but if they see the likeness of the Holy King they are afraid, if men on their beds have thought about the Holy King. The souls of men ascend each according to its desert, as explained elsewhere. At midnight a herald gives order and the gates are opened. Then a wind arises from the north and strikes [22a] the harp of David, which then plays of itself and praises the King, and the Holy One, blessed be He, has joyous communion with the righteous in the Garden of Eden. Happy is he who awakes at that time and studies the Torah: he is called a companion of the Holy One, blessed be He, and of the Community of Israel. When day comes, a herald again gives order and the doors on the south side are opened, the stars and constellations awake, and the King takes his seat to hear his praises. Then the Community of Israel takes up those words and carries them aloft, and all the Companions cling to her wings, and die words come and rest in the bosom of the King. Then the King gives command, and they are all written in a book, and the names of those admitted into the palace are recorded in a book and a thread of grace is woven round them, which is the crown of the King, causing all beings above and below to be afraid of them, so that they enter without let or hindrance into all the gates of the King. And even when the executioners of judgement arise to punish the world, they do not touch such a one, because he bears the stamp of the King, which proclaims him to come from the palace of the King. Happy the lot of the righteous who study the Torah, especially at the time when the King longs for the words of the Torah! The secret of the matter is that the Community of Israel does not come into the King's presence save with the Torah. So as long as Israel in their own land studied the Torah the Community of Israel abode with them, but when they neglected the Torah she could not stay with them an instant. So when she presented herself to the King with the Torah she was full of strength and confidence and the Holy King rejoiced to meet her, but when she came without the Torah, then, as it were, her strength was enfeebled. Woe to those who cause weakness above, and happy those who study the Torah, especially at the time when it is needful to associate with it the Community of Israel. Of such a one God says, "Thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified" (Isa. XLIX, 3).'

R. Jose discoursed on the verse: "The burden of Duma. One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night ?" (Isa. XXI, 11). 'This verse', he said, 'has already been expounded in many places, but it can also be interpreted as follows. To all the other exiles of Israel a term was set, and their duration was known beforehand, but the exile of Edom is "a burden of silence", for its term has not been disclosed. Says the Holy One, blessed be He: "One calls to Me from Seir": I have heard a voice from those who are oppressed and prostrate in the exile of Seir, [20] saying, Watchman, what of the night? -- asking Me what I have done with My Marrona. Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, assembles all His court and says: "See how My beloved children forget their own oppression and think only of the Matrona, saying to Me, Thou who art called Keeper, how dost Thou keep Thyself and Thy house ?" Then the Holy One, blessed be He, answers them: "I have not forgotten My guardianship, for I will yet receive Her and be with Her." "The morning has come", for at first He ascended aloft to that morning which is ever ready for Him. Now it is time to be joined to "the night". The night, too, is ready, but for your sakes it has been delayed. And if you ask why, the answer is, "Return", to wit, in repentance, and then "come to Me" and we shall all place ourselves in a row and return to our place, as it is written, "And the Lord thy God will return with thy captivity [22b] and will return and gather thee from all the peoples." The word "return" occurs here twice -- once referring to the Holy One, blessed be He, and once to the Community of Israel.'

The merchant then discoursed on the verse; "When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job XXXVIII, 7). 'When God', he said, 'comes to have joyous communion with the righteous in the Garden of Eden, everything in the lower (al. upper) world and all upper and lower angels arise to meet Him, and all the trees in the Garden break forth into song before Him, and even the birds of the earth utter praise before Him. Then a flame goes forth and strikes the wings of the cock, and it bursts into praise of the Holy King and tails to men to engage themselves in the study of the Law and in the praise of their Master and His service -- happy the lot of those who then rise from their beds to study the Torah! When the morning comes, the gates of the south are opened and healing goes forth to the world, and the east wind awakens and mercy prevails, and all the stars which are under the rule of that "morning" break out into song and praise the most high King, as it says, "when the morning stars sang together".'

The other merchant then discoursed on the verse: "As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away" (Gen. XLIV, 3). He said: 'We have learnt that when morning comes and judgement passes away and lovingkindness seeks to awake, then all who come from that side hasten to their place to prepare blessings for the world; and this is the meaning of the words, "the morning is light", "light" being synonymous with "good". Note the following series of grades. "Night" is one grade, as we know. Then "morning light" is another grade, which we also know, a higher grade which always accompanies the other. The sun is a third grade known to us which establishes all and gives light to all. Thus the "morning light" receives light from the sun, and in turn gives light to the night, so that they are all linked with one another. When this "morning light" awakes, all men are gladdened and go about their business. And now that the day has dawned, it is time for us to go on our way.' So R. Hiya and R. Jose blessed them and kissed them on their heads and sped them on their way. Said R. Hiya to R. Jose: 'Blessed be God who has guided our steps aright! Verily, God sent these men to us. Blessed are they who study the Torah and do not neglect it for an instant!'

R Hiya and R. Jose then left the cave and continued their journey. Said R. Jose: 'Verily, my heart goes out to those merchants.' R. Hiya said to him: 'I am not surprised at this incident, for in the days of R. Simeon even the birds utter wisdom, for his words are known above and below.' R. Hiya then quoted the verse: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold thou shalt sleep with thy fathers" (Deut. XXXI, 16). 'Mark this,' he said. 'As long as Moses was alive, he used to check Israel from sinning against God. And because Moses was among them, there shall not be a generation like that one till the Messiah comes, when they shall see the glory of God like him. As we have learnt, a handmaid saw at the Red Sea what even Ezekiel the prophet did not see. And if a handmaid saw that, how much more so their wives, their sons, the men themselves, the Sanhedrin, the princes, and especially Moses himself! And now when those merchants of the desert can pour forth such wisdom, how much more so the wise of the generation, how much more those who stand before R. Simeon and learn from him, [23a] and how very .much more R. Simeon himself, who is above all I Alas for the world when R. Simeon shall depart, and the fountains of wisdom shall be closed, and men shall seek wisdom and there will be none to impart it, and the Torah will be interpreted erroneously because there will be none who is acquainted with wisdom! Of that time it is written: "And if the whole congregation of Israel shall err." Why? Because "the thing is hidden from the eyes, to wit, the leaders, of the assembly".' Said R. Judah: 'God will one day reveal the hidden mysteries of the Torah, namely, at the time of the Messiah, because "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord like as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. XI, 9), and as it is written, "They shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them" (Jer. XXXI, 34).'

WHEN A RULER SINNETH, ETC. R. Isaac pointed out that the corresponding clauses referring to the high priest and the congregation begin with the word "if" -- "if the anointed priest shall sin, etc." (Lev. IV, 3). "if the whole congregation of Israel shall err, etc." (Ibid. 13). 'The reason is', he said, 'that it is exceptional for the High Priest to sin, since he feels his responsibility to his Master and to Israel and to each individual. Similarly, it is very exceptional for the whole congregation to commit one and the same sin, for if some commit it, others will not. But a prince's heart is uplifted because of his power, and therefore he is almost bound to sin; hence it says here, "when", and not "if".' R. Judah illustrated from the verse: "And the princes brought the onyx stones and the stones to be set for the ephod and the breastplate" (Ex. XXXV, 27). 'Why', he asked, 'should it have been left for the princes to bring these things, seeing that the order had gone forth that "everyone willing of heart should bring the Lord's offering" (Ibid. 4), including "onyx stones and stones to be set for the ephod and the breastplate" (Ibid. 9)? The reason is that God said: Although the free-will offering is requested from all, yet leave these things to the princes. Why? Because they are borne on the breast of the High Priest. Let the princes whose heart is uplifted bring these stones which are worn on the heart of the High Priest, 80 that he may make atonement for their pride of heart. AND HE SHALL DO UNWITTINGLY ONE OF THE THINGS WHICH THE LORD HIS GOD HATH COMMANDED NOT TO BE DONE: that is, as stated elsewhere, if he transgresses a negative precept. IF HIS SIN BE MADE KNOWN TO HIM: because in the pride of his heart he did not notice his sin, but afterwards it was pointed out to him and he repented.'

R. Judah and R. Jose were sitting and studying the Torah one night. Said R. Judah: 'I observe that the Torah seems clearer by night than by day: how is this?' He replied: 'It is because the Written Law is explained by the Oral Law, and the Oral Law has sway by night and is more active then than by day. When, therefore, it holds sway, the Torah is clearer.' R. Jose continued: 'It is written, "But he said not, Where is the God my maker, who giveth songs in the night" (Job XXXV, 10). As already stated, when the north wind awakes at midnight, it strikes the wings of the cock, which looks to see what it is, and then for the sake of the honour of its Master calls aloud to the sons of men. [23b] Then the faithful arise and give strength and power to the Community of Israel, and through this David and his sons inherit the kingdom for all generations. But if the cock calls and men continue to sleep in their beds and do not rise, then it claps its wings and says, woe to so-and-so who contemns his Master, who deserts his Master, and heeds not His honour! When the day breaks a herald proclaims concerning him, "He did not say, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night, so as to assist in those praises." What is the meaning of "my Maker"? If a man rises in the middle of the night and engages in the chanting of the Law -- for the true singing is only at night -- when day comes the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel adorn him with a thread of grace to keep him safe from all harm and shed light upon him among both upper and lower beings, and they make him every day a new creature; hence the expression "my Maker" ('osai, lit. makers), referring to the Holy One and the Community of Israel, or according to another explanation, to Abraham and the Community of Israel.'

IF ONE HATH MADE KNOWN TO HIM HIS SIN. If who has made known to him? And why is it not written, "if his sin is made known to him"? The truth is that the Holy One, blessed be He, bids the Community of Israel to make known to a man the sin which he has committed. And how does she make it known to him? By chastisement. So, too, we have learnt: When a man sins before God and heeds not his sin to repent before his Master and throws it behind his back, then his soul goes up and testifies before the Holy One, blessed be He. Then the King bids the Community of Israel to "make known to him his sin", and to chastise him. And when chastisement comes upon him, then his spirit moves him to repent and he humbles himself and brings an offering; for it is through pride that he sins and forgets his sin. Said R. Jose: 'It is so assuredly, and so we find in the case of David that when he committed the sin with Bathsheba and forgot about it, God reminded him, saying, "Thou art the man" (2 Sam. XII, 7). But if a man wakes at night to study the Torah, then the Torah makes known to him his sin, and not through chastisement, but like a mother who gently chides her son, and he does not forget, but repents before his Master. It may be asked, seeing that David also used to rise at midnight to study, why was he warned by chastisement? The reason is that he transgressed against the very grade to which he' was attached, and therefore he required to be chastised. His punishment, in fact, fitted his crime: he sinned against the holy Kingdom and Jerusalem, and therefore he was driven from Jerusalem and his kingdom was taken from him, until [24a] he had made sufficient atonement.' R. Judah asked why David was punished at the hand of his son. R. Jose answered: 'As has been explained, because another man would have shown him no mercy.' 'But', said R. Judah, 'Absalom sought to kill his father and devised worse evil against him than a stranger would have done?' R. Jose said: 'I have not heard any answer to this.' Said R. Judah: 'I have heard an explanation, namely, that David sinned against Bath Sheba (lit. the daughter of seven), so God said, "Let the son of the daughter of a strange god come and avenge her." And who was this? Absalom, who was the son of a "fair captive" (v. Deut. XXI, 10 et sqq.).' R. Jose then quoted the verse: "The Lord hath sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his strength" (Isa. LXII, 8). 'Whenever', he said, 'a man sins before God, there is a certain grade above which takes note of that sin to punish it; if the man repents, the sin is wiped out and judgement has no sway over him, but if not, that sin is inscribed with that grade. If he sins more, then another grade takes note of him and concurs with the previous grade, so that he requires a more fervent repentance. If he goes on sinning, further grades are added till the number of five is reached. When the Right Hand is thus completed, the Left Hand concurs with the Right and merges in it, and then there is no further room for repentance. When the final judgement is thus pronounced, five fingers are locked in five, the Right Hand in the Left, and therefore when God desires to pronounce the final judgement, then, "The Lord swears by his right hand and by the arm of his strength".' [24b]

IF A SOUL (nefesh) COMMIT A TRESPASS. R. Isaac said: 'It has been pointed out that the word nefesh (soul) is here used advisedly. Happy are the righteous who have a superior portion in the Holy One, blessed be He, the holy portion, in the sanctities of the King, because they sanctify themselves with the holiness of their Master. For whoever sanctifies himself, the Holy One, blessed be He, sanctifies him, as it is written, "And ye shall sanctify yourselves and ye shall be holy" (Lev. XI, 44). If a man sanctifies himself below, heaven sanctifies him from above, and clothes him with a holy super-soul (neshamah), the inheritance of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel. It is these who are called "sons of the Holy One", as it is written, "sons are ye to the Lord your God" (Deut. XIV, 1). It is written, "Let the earth bring forth a living soul" (Gen. I, 24), this being the portion from which David inherited and became heir to the kingdom, as elsewhere explained. As has been stated, the soul is linked [25a] with the spirit, and the spirit with the super-soul. Happy those who obtain this noble heritage! Alas for the wicked whose souls do not even win them this world, much less the world to come! Of them it is written, "And the souls of thine enemies shall he sling out as from the hollow of a sling" (I Sam. XXV, 29). For they wander about the world without finding a place to which to attach themselves, they are drawn into the side of impurity, and a herald proclaims of them: "When a soul commits a trespass, it defiles the sanctuary of the Lord, for it cannot enter into sanctity."

It may be asked, why is a goat brought as an offering (in this case), seeing that R. Simeon has said that a goat is an evil species, as its name indicates ('ez = 'az = impudent)? However, R. Simeon answered that there is a reason, because if a spirit of uncleanness passes over a man or he occupies himself with it, then a goat is his appropriate offering, as being akin to his sin. R. Simeon said further: 'Some are gifted with a supersoul (neshamah), some with the impulse of the spirit (ruah), and some only with an ordinary soul (nefesh). Those who attain no higher than the ordinary soul cling to the side of uncleanness, and when they sleep unclean sides (spirits) come and cling to them and show them things in dreams, partly true and partly false. Hence heathens also see true things sometimes in their dreams. Now those evil species are of three grades. The highest are suspended in the air. The lowest mock men in their dreams. The intermediate grade tell men things partly true and partly false, but if true, only relating to the immediate future. As for the higher grade of those who are suspended in the air, when the soul (nefesh) of a man seeks to prepare itself for the reception of the spirit (ruah), something issues from it and seeks to rise, and in so doing meets those spirits which tell it things that will happen both in the near and the more distant future, and it cleaves to that grade until it acquires spirit. When it has done so, the spirit issues forth and cleaves its way through rocks and mountains until it ascends among the holy angels, and there it learns many things before returning to its place. This is as far as man can attain in holiness until he is endowed with a super-soul (neshamah). When he acquires that supersoul, it ascends among the righteous who are bound up in the bundle of the living, and there it sees the delight of the King and regales itself with the supernal splendour. And when the holy Hind (Shekinah) awakes with the north wind, the soul comes down and that righteous one who has acquired it arises and strengthens himself like a lion in the study of the Torah till morning, and then he goes with that holy Hind to appear before the King to receive a thread of grace, [25b] and he is crowned with her before the King. Blessed', said R. Simeon, 'are those who possess a super-soul, who study the Torah, who worship the Holy King. Woe to the sinners who do not cleave to their Master and have no portion in the Torah. For he who has no portion in the Torah has no portion either in the spirit or the super-soul, but he cleaves to the side of the evil species, having no portion in the holy King or in holiness. Woe to him when he shall leave this world, for he is a marked man to those evil species, pitiless dogs, emissaries of the fires of Gehenna. See now the difference between Israel and the nations. Even though an Israelite possess only an ordinary soul, yet a higher grad~ stands over him, and if he tries to acquire a spirit or super-soul, he can do so. But the heathen can never do so unless he becomes circumcised, when he acquires a soul from another place. If, however, an Israelite who is only in the grade of ordinary soul does not aspire to rise higher, his punishment is great. For there are men who cleave to that evil side because they are not endowed with more than this ordinary soul, and when this unclean spirit passes by them it rests upon them and they cleave to it. Thus their sin is from the side of that unclean spirit and their offering is a goat, a beast which comes from that side, and so is a fitting atonement.' Said R. Eleazar: 'It is written, "His body shall not remain all night on the tree ... that thou defile not thy land" (Deut. XXI, 23). The reason is that the land is holy, and the unclean spirit must find no place in the holy land on which to rest. This being so, seeing that the spirit of uncleanness rests on this animal and it comes from the side of uncleanness, how can it be brought as an offering to the side of holiness?' R. Simeon replied: 'You have asked well, my son. The answer is as follows. It is written, "The Lord thy God is a devouring fire" (Deut. IV. 24). The fire of the Holy One, blessed be He. feeds on another fire. There are angels which chant praises before the Holy One, and as soon as they finish are consumed in the flames of a devouring fire. Below, too, God has empowered the fire of the altar to consume all that side in its flames so that naught of it should be left in the world, and the man who brings the offering prevails over it. and through the savour of the sacrifice the side of the evil spirit departs from him and he obtains atonement.'

R. Aha was once walking along when R Hiya and R. Jose met him. Said R. Aha: 'Verily, being now three, we are fitted to receive the presence of the Shekinah.' So they went along together. Said R. Aha; 'Let each one of us give a discourse on the Torah as we go.'

R. Hiya thereupon began with the verse: "Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness" (Isa. XV, 8). 'This verse', he said, 'contains a mystery of wisdom which we have learnt from the Holy Lamp (R. Simeon). The words "drop down" refer to the side of rain, which brings nourishment to all. Therefore the eyes of all the world are turned to the Holy One, blessed be He, because He gives food to all. Yet think not that this depends on the place called "heaven", for so it is written here "from above"; the rain in sooth comes from "above", from the Ancient Holy One, [26a] and not from the place called Heaven. "And let the skies pour down righteousness": since when the heavens receive this rain from the place above, then the skies pour down righteousness. What is meant by "skies" (shehakim)? The place where manna is ground (shahak) for the righteous, where Victory and Majesty grind manna for the place called Righteous, or, rather, for the two Righteous Ones Zaddik and Zedek. Then "the earth opens" (Ibid.) beneath, and mankind "are fruitful with salvation". "Righteousness springs forth together": mercy and kindness abound and man's food is provided, and so joy is added to joy and all worlds are blessed.' Said R. Aha: 'Had I come but to hear this, it would have been sufficient.'

R. Jose then discoursed on the verse: "My heart is towards the governors of· Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people, bless ye the Lord" (Judges V, 9). 'If a man', he said, 'desires earnestly to pray that blessings should be poured on earth from above, he should concentrate his mind on that recondite Stream, the deepest recess of all, where is the very beginning of the union of Father and Mother (Hokmah and Binah). So it says here, "My heart is to the governors of Israel", to wit, to those, the Father and Mother, who trace out laws for the Holy Israel who flows out from between them. "That offer themselves willingly (mithnadevim) among the people": these are the Fathers who are called nedivim. Then, "bless ye the Lord", that blessings may flow from him below and fill the world. Happy are Israel that God pours down blessings upon them and listens to their prayer; of them it is written, "He hath regarded the prayer of the destitute and hath not despised their prayer" (PI. CII, 18).

_______________

Notes:

1. The Hebrew word is oth, which in Talmudic Hebrew commonly means "letter".

2. The rest of this passage up to 3b ["And he called... "] deals mainly with the occult powers of various letters. The whole is omitted from the editiones majores of Mantua, Cremona, and Lublin.

3. A play on the words mischan, "tent", and mashcen (Aramaic), "pledge".

4. From karab, to draw near.

5. This verse is not found in our text. Apparently the Zohar meant it for a paraphrase of Ezek. XIX, 1, "And do thou raise a lamentation over the princes of Israel".

6. In T. B. Berachoth, the verse is explained thus: "She has fallen, but shall no more; rise, O virgin of Israel."

7. That there are seven earths enveloping one another.

8. The Cabbalists.

9. The geographers.

10. The passage which follows in the text deals with the symbolism of the forms of the letters of the Divine Name, and also assigns the various names of the Deity to the various grades, as may be found in the table in the Appendix of Vol. I of this translation.

11. The passage which follows in the text resumes the discussion of the relation of the names of the Deity to the various grades, and suggests an alternative arrangement. This again is followed by a passage comparing the Ten Commandments to the ten "Words" of the Creation by a highly forced interpretation.

12. The Shekinah.

13. i.e. they are attached only to this grade.

14. The passage which follows is written in so allusive a style that it would be hardly possible to convey its meaning by a translation. The point of it is that sin (especially the sin of unchastity) "uncovers the nakedness of the Mother (Binah)", and repentance is the covering-up again. The word teshubah (returning) is also explained to mean, "causing the light from the Ancient Holy One to return to the Small of Countenance".

15. The highest grades.

16. The ram's horn blown on New Year.

17. There is a lacuna here in the text.

18. Al. "runners". The reference in either case is to robbers.

19. Reading hasadekha for hasidekha.

20. Edom = Rome.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:46 am

ZAV

Leviticus VI, 8-VIII, 36 [1]

THE FIRE OF THE ALTAR SHALL BE KEPT BURNING THEREON. Said R. Aha: 'Why so? And why shall "the priest bum wood on it every morning"? Why the priest in particular? Have we not learnt that fire in every place symbolises judgement, whereas the priest is from the Right and is far from Judgement? The truth is, however, as we have learnt, that when a man inclines to sin before his Master, he bums himself in the flame of the evil imagination, which comes from the side of the unclean spirit, [27b] so that the unclean spirit rests on him. Therefore certain offerings have been marked as coming from this side, so that the like may be offered on the altar. For that unclean spirit is not burnt away and removed either from a man or from the side from which it comes save through the fire on the altar; and the purpose of the priest is to prepare the fire to bum the evil species out of the world. Hence it is requisite that the fire should never be quenched or allowed to become too feeble to break the force of this alien power: wherefore it says, "It shall not go out". And the priest is to put fire upon it every morning at the time when his own side is in the ascendant in order to mitigate stem judgement and keep away chastisement from the world. Regarding this we have learnt that there is a "fire consuming fire". The supernal fire consumes another fire, and similarly the fire of the altar consumes another fire. Therefore this fire must never go out, and the priest must trim it every day. [30a]

FIRE SHALL BE KEPT BURNING UPON THE ALTAR CONTINUALLY; IT SHALL NOT GO OUT. R. Hiya said: 'This fire is the fire of Isaac, who said (at the time of the binding), "Behold the fire and the wood" (Gen. XXII, 7), which perpetually exists. We have learnt that from the fire of Isaac there issue forth to the altar certain coals, one to the east side, one to the west side, one to the north side, and one to the south side. Now there is on the altar a footway with a certain number of steps, and the lowest step reaches to the abyss which is the highest of six, and when the coals mentioned above reach the four corners of the altars a spark shoots forth and descends to that highest abyss. In that place there are numerous hosts who proclaim "holy" with a loud voice, and on another side they say "holy" with a soft and wondrous voice, and on another side there are yet other hosts which say "holy". There are six hundred thousand myriads in each corner, all under one commander, and all clad in an ephod, who are there to carry out the service of the altar in correspondence with those on earth. In another place the waves of the sea roar and descend a certain number of degrees, and there other hosts proclaim with the voice of song: "Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place" (Ezek. III, 12). Their song of praise is not stilled day or night, and all make melody. In another place are hosts who stand in fear and trembling. All look towards that supernal altar. When the fire of Isaac reaches the altar sparks fly about on every side, and from them many mighty beings are set aflame. And did not the priest stand by the altar and lay in order the wood, the world could not stand before them. From the sparks which issue the backs of those "living creatures" are set aflame (Ezek. I, 13). On the right side of those "living creatures" a certain wind stirs from above which blows upon that fire, so that it settles down with a steady flame and gives light to the hosts standing on the right side. Then on the left side rises a strong wind breaking the rocks which blows upon that fire and makes it burn fiercely, till it gives light to the hosts on that side. And so on all four sides for the four camps. But all are appeased when the priest goes up to the altar.'

R. Abba said: 'There are two altars below and two altars above. Of the latter one, the innermost of all, [30b] is that on which is offered the inner fine incense, which is the bond of faith, and the most high Priest of all offers this incense with the bond of faith. This is called the Altar of Gold, the place where all the threads of faith are bound together. There is another altar called the Altar of Brass, which is more external and on which Michael the great chief brings the pleasing offering of the Holy One, blessed be He. On earth there are correspondingly the altar of gold and the altar of brass, on the one of which was offered incense and on the other fat and limbs. It is written, "Oil and incense rejoice the heart" (Prov. XXVII, 9), but not fat and limbs, although these, too, allay wrath. The altar which is the innermost of all, the linking of faith, is called "a still silent voice", and in relation to this the other altar is called the "outer" one. The inner one is called "the altar of the Lord" and the other one "the altar of brass". Said R. Abba: 'When Moses built an altar (Ex. XVII, 15), he meant it to correspond to that inner one, and therefore he called it "The Lord is my banner", because it was stamped with the sign of the holy covenant. This is the inner Altar, the "still silent voice", and on this "fire shall be burnt continually", that is, the perpetual Fire, the Fire of Isaac. The proper name for this is Adonai, but when the priest puts wood on the altar we call it by the name of mercy, Jehovah; sometimes it answers to one and sometimes to the other.' R. Simeon said that there were two, the inner supported on the outer and fed from it, the two being thus linked together.

THIS IS THE OBLATION OF AARON. Said R. Hizkiah: 'How solicitous should men be for the honour of their Master, and how careful not to turn aside from the right way, for every day punishment impends over the world, and man never knows when it may fall. If he sits in his house, judgement impends over him; if he goes abroad, judgement impends over him, and he does not know if he will return or not. Therefore he should in time beseech for mercy from the King, for every day judgement impends over the world, as it is written, "El (God) hath indignation every day" (Ps. VII, 12). Now the Companions have pointed out that the name "El" properly indicates lovingkindness; why, then, is it used here, and also in the expression El Gibbor (mighty God) (Isa. IX, 6)? The answer is that, as we have learnt, the wicked turn mercy into judgement, since in all the supernal crowns of the Holy King, mercy and judgement are intertwined.' Said R. Judah to him: 'This accounts for the expression El Gibbor; but what of "El hath indignation every day", which means that on every day He punishes, whether men are guilty or not ?' He could not answer him, so they went and asked R. Simeon. He said: 'The Companions have explained that the name El indicates sometimes mercy and sometimes [31a] judgement. If men are virtuous, El is there standing for lovingkindness, and if they are not deserving, El is there standing for severity and is called Gibbor. The real truth, however, is as follows. El everywhere stands for the light of the supernal Wisdom which exercises its influence every day, and without which the world could not stand a day before the heavy chastisements that arise every day against it. For El is indignant with them and thrusts them away and so establishes the world, which otherwise could not exist an instant. As for the expression El Gibbor, the whole verse in which this occurs is an epitome of the holy supernal faith. The word "Wonderful" alludes to the supernal Wisdom, which is wondrous and concealed beyond the reach of all; "Counsellor" is the supernal stream which issues forth perennially and counsels all and waters all; "El" refers to Abraham, "Gibbor" to Isaac, and "Everlasting Father" to Jacob, who lays hold of both sides and attains perfection. The "Prince of Peace" is the Zaddik, who brings peace to the world, peace to the House, peace to the Matrona.' R. Hizkiah and R. Judah came and kissed his hands, and weeping with joy exclaimed: 'Happy are we that we asked this question. Happy is the generation in whose midst thou art!'

THIS (zeh) IS THE OBLATION OF AARON AND HIS SONS WHICH THEY SHALL OFFER UNTO THE LORD. Sinners cause the Holy One, blessed be He, to part from the Community of Israel; they separate zeh (this, masc.) from zoth (this, fern.), who should form one pair. So the holy Aaron comes with his sons, and through them they are brought together again, and zeh is united with zoth; hence it is written, "with this (bezoth) shall Aaron come to the holy place" (Lev. XVI, 3). You might ask, then, why is it not written here. zoth (this) is the offering of Aaron, to restore zoth to its place? The reason is that the priest commences from above. bringing the zeh to unite with the zoth -- happy is his portion in this world and the next!

As R. Hiya and R. Jose were once going from Usha to Tiberias, the latter said: 'It is written, "Ye shall sanctify yourselves [31b] and ye shall be holy" (Lev. XI, 44). We know that if a man sanctifies himself here below, he is further sanctified from above, and that if he defiles himself here below, he is further defiled from above. Now that he should be sanctified from above is fit and proper, since the holiness of his Master rests upon him; but from whence is he defiled? From above? And is there, then, defilement above?' R. Hiya replied: 'This is the meaning of what we have learnt, that any activity below stimulates a corresponding activity above. If the activity below is one of holiness, it stimulates holiness above to rest upon the doer and sanctify him. And if the man defiles himself below, a spirit of defilement is aroused above and comes and rests upon him, defiling him further. For there is no good or evil, holiness or defilement, which has not its root and source above. And just as action below stimulates action above, so words below stimulate words above -- that is to say, decision couched in words. This word above is called "the word of the Lord"; for so we have learnt, that the word from below ascends and cleaves the firmaments until it reaches the place where it sets in motion either good or evil, according to its own character; hence it is written, "thou shalt keep thyself from every evil word (dabar)" (Deut. XXIII, 9).'

There [2] are four species in the lulab (palm-branch) which diverge into seven, and through their employment corresponding ones are roused above to benefit the world in various ways. And though the Community of Israel is one of these Seven, yet She is herself blessed from the other six and from the Stream which issues from the perennial source. The lower world is also blessed from them through this impulse, for when the Community of Israel is blessed by them all worlds are blessed. For this reason it was customary to go in procession round the altar on this festival (Tabernacles). [3] We have learnt in the Book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder that the Powers which are in charge of these plants receive each one their blessings of joy above only at this time, and the gladness of those above and of these trees below is all at this season, and so when Israel lift up these branches, all is roused to activity at this time and the Community of Israel is blessed, so as to pour down blessings on the world. In Psalm XXIX, the "Voice of the Lord" is mentioned seven times, and R. Jose explained them thus: "The voice of the Lord is on the waters"; this is Abraham. "The voice of the Lord is in strength"; this is Isaac. "The voice of the Lord is in beauty"; this is Jacob. "The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars"; this is Nezah (Victory). "The voice of the Lord heweth flames of fire"; this is Hod (Majesty). "The voice of the Lord causeth the wilderness to tremble"; this is Zaddik (Righteous One). And all bring blessings on to the world from the replenishment which they themselves receive. On all other days of the year these Seven are roused to activity by the prayer of men's mouth, but on this day it depends on action, and we require action, because at this season the whole year is blessed.

On the seventh day of Tabernacles the judgement of the world is finally sealed and the edicts are sent forth from the King, and God's might is aroused, and the "willows of the brook" [4] depend on it, and we require to awaken the might which sends the rain and to go round the altar seven times and sate it with the water of Isaac, because the well of Isaac is filled with water, and then all the world is blessed with water. We therefore pray that the rain-giving power may be manifested, and afterwards destroy willow twigs, since [32a] judgement is closed on this day. R. Hiya said: 'In reference to this day, it is written: "And Isaac returned and dug the wells of water" (Gen. XXVI, 18). Isaac (symbolizing Geburah), having sat on the Throne of Judgement on the first day of the seventh month, now pours might upon the Community of Israel to set the waters in motion. Hence all depends on the appropriate action (of taking the four species).

On this day the idolatrous nations come to the end of their blessings and enter into judgement, and Israel come to the end of their punishments and enter into blessings. For on the next day (Eighth Day of Assembly) they are to rejoice in the King and to receive from Him blessings for all the year. This joy is reserved for Israel alone, and they are, as it were, the private guest of the king who can obtain any request which he makes. In reference to this it is written, "I love you, saith the Lord, and Esau I hate" (Mal. I, 2-3). Said R. Jose: 'We see that Esau is prosperous and dominant, with great cities and wide power, and yet you say, "And I have made his mountains desolate" (Ibid. 3)?' He replied: 'This is a frequent figure of speech. When the Holy King has pronounced a decree and placed it in his archives, the Scripture speaks of it as if it were already accomplished. And so with all the blessings which God has decreed for Israel, as it is written, "I, the Lord, have spoken and done" (Ezek. XVII, 24).

AND THIS IS THE LAW OF THE GUILT OFFERING. R. Isaac said: 'It has been explained that if this refers to what is below, then the other similar expressions ("this is the law of the meal offering", "this is the law of the sin offering", "this is the law of the peace offering") refer to what is below; and if this refers to what is above, then they also refer to what is above. Whoever engages in the study of the Torah obtains a portion in all and is attached to all sides and does not need to bring an offering for his soul, as has been explained.'

R. Isaac expounded the verse: "The priests said not. Where is the Lord, and they that handle the law knew me not; the shepherds also transgressed against me" (Jer. II, 8). 'By the "priests" here', he said, 'are meant the high priests who bring holy words to their place and proclaim each unity in the fitting way. "They that handle the law" are here the Levites who handle the harps which come from the side of the Law, and from whose side the Law was given and who are appointed to sing praises to the Holy King and complete His unity. The "shepherds" are the leaders of the people who care for them as a shepherd cares for his flock. These three classes must always be present by the offering, that it may be pleasing above and below and that blessings may be in all worlds. The priest brings the offering with intent to unify the Holy Name and to awaken the side to which he is attached. The Levites by their song endeavour to rouse the side to which they are attached [32b] and to merge it in the side of the priest. The Israelite seeks to make his heart contrite and humble before God the Holy King, and so his sin is forgiven and there is joy above and below.'

R. Judah discoursed on the verse: "Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters", etc. (Ps. CIV, 3). 'When', he said, 'God created the world, He brought it forth from water and established it on water. He divided the waters in two, one half above and the other half below, and from each half created a world. Out of the lower half He made this world, which he established on this half of the waters, as it is written: "For he hath founded it upon the seas" (Pa. XXIV, 2). The upper half He took aloft, and made with it upper chambers, and on this half He established supernal holy beings made from the spirit which was detached from His mouth, as it is written, "And through the breath of his mouth all their hosts" (Pd. XXXIII, 6). Among these he appointed some to sing His praises, fiery hosts, who sing praises in the morning and songs at even, all ceasing at night. Above them are hosts of a still more fiery nature who breathe fire and eat it, and then return to their places. In the other side there are abysses, one above the other, in all of which are executioners of judgement from the side of stem justice. In the lowest depth there are flames that bum flames, fires for the punishment of sinners issuing from the "river of fire", all fiery and flaming, situated between the higher and the lower. But when the smoke of the altar ascends, they leave that place where they were standing to destroy and annihilate, and the stream of flaming fire from the "river of fire" returns to its place and all enjoy the smoke from the altar when it goes straight towards the most high King. We have explained that it is the desire of each one to ascend above in order to please the Holy King, and Uriel appears there like a mighty lion crouching over his prey. When the priests and the Israelites saw this they rejoiced because they knew that the sacrifice was acceptable to the Holy King. Then another holy fire from above came down to meet the fire from below, and men trembled before their Master and repented. As a king to whom an acceptable present had been sent might say to his servant, Go and take this present which has been brought to me, so the Holy One, blessed be He, says to Uriel, Go and receive the present which my sons offer me. How great is the joy, how great the sweetness everywhere when the priest, the Levite and the bringer of the sacrifice are intent to bring the offering with perfect devotion! When, however, Israel were not virtuous or the sacrifice was not brought in the proper spirit, and was not accepted, they used to observe that the smoke did not ascend in a straight line, being blown aside by a wind from the hollow of the north, and they used to see the likeness of an impudent dog lying on the offering, and then they knew that it was not acceptable. As a king to whom an unworthy present has been brought might say, Take this present and give it to the dog, so when the offering was unacceptable it was given as a gift to the dog. [33a] R. Judah said: 'When the fire went forth from the altar and consumed the offering (Lev. IX, 24), this was Uriel, who appeared in a flame on the altar; [33b] and had it not been for the misfortune of the sons of Aaron, there would have been no day when God was more pleased with Israel from the time they left Egypt. And the death of the sons of Aaron was deserved for many reasons. One was that they offered incense at the wrong time -- at a time when oil and incense were not together (i.e. not when the lamp was lit, v. Ex. XXX, 7). Another was that they thrust themselves forward in the place of their father. A third was that they were not married; [34a] for such are not meet to bring blessings into the world. And a fourth was that they were intoxicated with wine.

THIS (zoth) IS THE ANOINTING PORTION OF AARON AND OF HIS SONS. R. Jose said: 'Zoth (Shekinah) indeed is the anointing portion of Aaron, for he brought of the oil of the supernal anointing and caused it to flow below; and by the hand of Aaron zoth was anointed with the holy anointing and drew blessing therefrom. From this oil blessings flow by the hand of the priest, and the priest causes it to flow below and anoints this zoth; hence, "this (zoth) is the anointing portion of Aaron, etc."'

TAKE AARON AND HIS SONS WITH HIM, AND THE GARMENTS. R. Hiya quoted here the verse: "For with thee is the fountain of life, in thy light we shall see light" (Ps. XXXVI, 9). 'The fountain of life', he said, 'is the supernal oil which flows continually and is stored in the midst of that most high Wisdom, from which it never separates. It is the source which dispenses life to the supernal Tree and kindles the lights (of the emanations). And that tree is called the Tree of Life, because it is planted on account of that source of life. Therefore, too, "in thy light we shall see light" -- in that light which is treasured for the righteous in the world to come, and with which Israel [34b] will be illuminated. Or again, "with thee" may refer to the Holy One, blessed be He, who is a most high Tree in the midst of the Garden reaching out to all sides, because it clings to the source of life, which crowns it with supernal crowns all around the Garden like a mother who crowns her son.' R. Isaac said that the words refer to the High Priest above who corresponds to the high priest below. Therefore this Priest causes the supernal holy oil to flow down and kindle the lamps above. And just as the High Priest above is consummated with seven Days to be exalted above all, so there were seven days of consecration for the priest below, that lower might correspond to upper. The word for consecration (miluim, lit. filling) implies that they are completed by the priest, through being united with seven other days, for when the priest below bestirs himself, all above is stimulated through him, and blessings are spread above and below. R. Abba said that the reason why Moses anointed Aaron was because he was attached to the place which is the source of life, and Moses ministered all the seven days of the consecration to make all abide with Aaron.

When R. Hizkiah was once studying with R. Eleazar, he asked him: 'How many lights were created before the world was created?' He answered: 'Seven: namely, the light of the Torah, the light of Gehenna, the light of the Garden of Eden, the light of the Throne of Glory, the light of the Temple, the light of repentance, the light of the Messiah. Similarly seven lights were attached to Aaron, and he lit the lower lamps from the higher.' R. Eleazar quoted the verse: "All was from the dust" (Eccles. III, 20). 'We have learnt', he said, 'that everything is from the dust, even the orb of the sun. But from what dust? From that which is under the holy Throne of Glory. In the Book of Rab Yeba the Elder it says that paths went forth in all directions and then met again to give light, like dust that is thrown in all directions and yet returns again to the dust. The dust was that of the Sanctuary, which again was from the supernal dust.

'The Community of Israel is called "bride", as it says, "Thou art all fair, my love" (S.S. IV, 7). She is also called "a kingdom of priests" when blessed by the priests, since the priests enthrone her and give her power, making her queen over all the treasures and armoury of the King, over higher and lower, over the whole world.' [35a] R. Jose said: 'It is written, "He hath established his bond upon the earth" (Amos IX, 6), namely, when the King joins her with all his holy Crowns in one company, for then She rules over all and shines above and below; and this at the time when the priest performs his service and brings the offering and bums the incense, uttering fitting prayer the while.' R. Jose said: 'When Aaron raised his hands, all raised with him, until the Community of Israel was blessed and higher and lower angels with her. Hence it says, "Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, who dwelleth in Jerusalem, Hallelujah" (Ps. CXXXV, 21).'

As R. Eleazar was once going from Cappadocia to Lydda, accompanied by R. Jose and R. Hizkiah, he began to discourse thus: 'It is written, "And I have put my words in thy mouth and have covered thee in the shadow of my hand" (Isa. LI, 16). We have been taught', he said, 'that if a man studies the words of the Torah and ever has them on his lips, God protects him and the Shekinah spreads her wings over him; nay more, he supports the world and God rejoices over him as if He had that day planted heaven and earth, as it says, "to plant heaven and to lay the foundations of the earth, and to say to Zion, thou art my people" (Ibid.); from this we learn that Israel are called Zion.' He further discoursed on the verse: "Bind the testimony, seal up the law among my disciples" (Isa. VIII, 16). 'The testimony is that of David, referred to in the verse, "My testimony that I shall teach them" (Ps. CXXXII, 12). The seal of the law and of all the abundance that flows from above is where? "In my disciples"; for there is the abundance gathered between the two pillars (Nezah and Hod) that stand there, and so all is tied firmly with one trusty knot. What, now, is the difference between those who study the Torah and faithful prophets? The former are ever superior, since they stand on a higher level. Those who study the Torah stand in a place called Tifereth (Beauty), which is the pillar of all faith, whereas the prophets stand lower in the place called Nezah (Victory) and Hod (Majesty); and those who merely speak in the spirit of holiness stand lower still. He who studies the Torah needs neither peace offerings nor burnt offerings, since the Torah is superior to all and the bond of faith; wherefore it is written "Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace" (Prov. III, 17), and also, "Great peace have they which love thy law and they have no occasion for stumbling" (Ps. CXIX, 165).'

As they were going along, they came across a man with three myrtle branches in his hand. They went up to him and said: 'What is this for?' He replied: 'To refresh the fainting one. [5] Said R. Eleazar: 'That is a good answer. But why three?' He replied: 'One for Abraham, one for Isaac, and one for Jacob; and I bind them together and smell them, because the scent refreshes the soul, and by this act of faith blessings are drawn down from above.' Said R. Eleazar: 'Happy is the lot [35b] of Israel in this world and in the world to come. Mark now. The vital soul is only kept up by smell, and this smell brings to mind another, for when Sabbath departs and the additional soul departs, the soul and the spirit are separated and sad until the smell comes and unites them and makes them glad. In the same way all (attributes) are united by the smell of the sacrifice and the lamps are kindled and gladdened. If one lamp is placed above another and the lower one is lit, the smoke as it ascends kindles the upper one also. So the smoke of the sacrifices, as it ascends, kindles the supernal lamps till they all flame together and unite through this smell, so that there is "a sweet savour to the Lord". Thus the smell of the offering is the support of all and is produced by the priest who brings all together; and therefore seven days of fulfilment were completed in him in order that all may be blessed through his service, and there may be blessing and joy above and below.'

_______________

Notes:

1. The opening passage of this section is repeated with minor variations from Zohar, Exodus, 238b ("The burnt offering symbolizes") to 239b ("of the Tabernacle").

2. This passage, to "spoken and done" (p. 385), should properly be attached to Leviticus XXIII.

3. v. T. B. Succah.

4. Nezah and Hod.

5. The nefesh (soul), v. infra.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:46 am

SHEMINI

Leviticus IX, 1-XI, 47

AND IT CAME TO PASS ON THE EIGHTH DAY. R. Isaac said: 'Happy are Israel in that God has given them a holy Law which is the universal delight, the joy of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His recreation, as it is written, "and I was daily his delight" (Prov. VIII, 30). The Torah is all one name of the Holy One, blessed be He. By the Torah was the world created, as it is written, "And I was an artificer with him" (Ibid.). By the Torah, too, was man created, as it is written, "And God said, Let us make man" (Gen. I, 26). Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to the Torah: "I desire to create man." She replied: "This man is destined to sin and to provoke Thee unless Thou art long-suffering with him; how, then, shall he endure ?" To which God replied: "I and thou shall maintain him, for not for nothing am I called 'long-suffering'."' R. Hiya said that the Oral and the Written Law together preserve mankind, as it is written: "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness" -- "image" having reference to the Masculine and "likeness" to the Feminine; and for this reason the Torah commences with the letter Beth (= 2), as already explained. R. Isaac said: 'Why is the beth open on one side and closed on the other? To show that when a man comes [36a] to attach himself to the Torah, it is open to receive him and to join with him; and when a man closes his eyes to it and walks in the other way, then it turns its closed side to him, according to the saying: "If thou leavest me one day, I will leave thee two days", until he returns to attach himself to it, never again to abandon it. Therefore the Torah makes the first approaches to men, proclaiming, "Unto you, O men, I call" (Prov. VIII, 4); and it is also written of her, "she crieth in the chief places of concourse, at the entering in of the gates" (Ibid. I, 21).' R. Judah said: 'The beth has two parallel lines and a third joining them. What do these signify? One for heaven, one for earth, and one for the Holy One, blessed be He, who unites and receives them.' R. Eleazar said: 'These represent three supernal and closely connected holy lights in which the whole Torah is comprised, and which provide the introduction to faith. Therefore to study the Torah is like studying the Holy Name, as we have said, that the Torah is all one holy supernal name. Therefore it commences with the letter beth, which symbolizes the holy name with three bonds of faith. All those who study the Torah cleave to the Holy One, blessed be He, and are crowned with the crowns of the Torah and beloved above and below, and God stretches out to them His right hand; and all the more to those who study at night, who, as. we have stated, are associated with the Shekinah and joined with her. When morning comes the Holy One, blessed be He, winds round them a thread of grace to distinguish between the higher and the lower ranks, and all the stars of the morning, what time the Community of Israel and those who study the Torah come to appear before the King, break forth into song together, as it is written, "When the morning stars sing together and the sons of God shout for joy" (Job XXXVIII, 7).'

R. Eleazar was once travelling along a road on which R. Phineas ben Yair happened to be coming towards him. The ass on which R. Phineas was riding whinnied, and he said: 'Verily, from the note of gladness in the ass's voice, I see that I shall meet someone here.' When he emerged from under the brow of the hill he saw R. Eleazar approaching, and said: 'Assuredly, the omen of the ass's voice has been fulfilled.' R. Eleazar then came up to him and kissed him. He said to him: 'If you have the same destination as I have, let us join company, and if not, go your way.' He replied: 'Indeed, I was going to look for you, and since I have found you I will follow you and we can keep company.' R. Phineas then began a discourse on the verse: "The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem" etc. (Ps. CXXVIII, 5). 'Why', he said, "from Zion"? Because there blessings repose, as it is written, "For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore" (Ps. CXXXIII, 3). And for the sake of Zion Jerusalem is blessed and visited with mercy, and when Jerusalem is blessed all the people are blessed. The words "all the days of thy life" mean that the rainbow shall not be seen in thy days any more than in the days of thy father [1] "And see thy children to thy children", god-fearing, saintly and holy. "Peace upon Israel": as who should say. "Peace upon the head of the king that he may lack nothing." So there is peace upon Israel when righteous men are in the world.'

R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: "Children's children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children are their fathers" (Prov. XVII, 6). 'The word "children"', he said, 'has its well-known esoteric meaning. "Children's children" are the other crowns of the King, and of them it says that "the glory of children are their fathers", because the sons are only crowned through the fathers. From this we learn that the sons are only crowned and revived by the running Stream when the Fathers are crowned and blessed.' [36b]

& they were going along the time for prayer arrived, so they dismounted and said their prayers. While they were praying a serpent wound itself round the legs of the ass of R. Phineas, which thereupon uttered two cries. When they had finished praying R. Phineas said: 'I can understand my animal being in pain, because earlier in the day, while I was meditating on the Torah, it took me through some filth; hence now it is being hurt.' As they stood up they saw a snake coiled round its legs, whereupon R. Phineas said: "Snake, go and wind yourself round your own hole." At this the snake dissolved and fell into pieces. Said R. Eleazar: 'Is God so particular with the righteous?' He replied: 'Verily He is, and He takes note of all their errors, and desires to raise their holiness to a still higher level. This ass has been tormented because it did not guard my holiness, and this snake was a divine messenger. And how many agents has the Almighty, even beasts of the field and even idolaters, as it says, "The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the ends of the earth" (Deut. XXVIII, 49).' R. Eleazar asked: 'Does God ever make an Israelite His agent?' He replied: 'Yes: that is, a pious Israelite to punish a wicked one, but not one wicked one to punish another, save when he does so accidentally, as it is written, "but God deliver him into his hand" (Ex. XXI, 13), in order to punish both of them.' Said R. Eleazar: 'How does God use such Israelites and idolaters as His agents?' 'Has not your father told you ?' said R. Phineas. 'I have never yet asked him,' he replied. R. Phineas thereupon began by quoting the verse: "When he giveth quietness who then can condemn?" etc. (Job XXXIV, 29). 'When God', he said, 'gives quietness and ease to a man, who is there that is authorized to injure and malign him? And when He withdraws His watchful providence from him, who can keep watch over him to protect him ? And in this God's ways are "unto a man or a nation alike" -- the same for the world or for a people or for an individual. For when men's actions are virtuous on earth, then the Right Hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, is active for them above, and many friends and protectors come forward on their behalf above on the right and on the left, and the Left Hand is subdued and kept under control. But when men's actions on earth are not virtuous, then the Left is awakened, and all those who come from the side of the left with it, and all become agents to inflict harm on men. For all who transgress the precepts of the Law receive a mark on their faces through which they are recognized by those who rise up from the side of the left. Hence serpents and idolaters, and all who come from the side of the left, are called "agents" in regard to those who bear this mark. Now Israelites, even if their actions are not virtuous, still come from the side of the right, but because the right has been paralysed by their actions the left has power over them, and those who come from the side of the left. Hence the agents chosen for punishing them are serpents and idolaters, and such-like who are from the side of the left, but not other Israelites, even sinners, because they are still from the side of the right. And if it happens that a sinful Israelite falls into the hand of another Israelite sinner, this is that they may both be punished and be purified by their punishment.' Said R. Eleazar: 'Whence do you derive all this?' He answered: 'From the incident of the concubine in Gibeah (Judges XX). For though the sinners there were Israelites, God was unwilling that other sinners of Israel should be the instruments for punishing them, and therefore numbers of them fell time after time until all the sinners in the attacking army had perished, and there were left in it only those [37a] more righteous ones who could more appropriately execute the work. And even righteous Israelites are made the agents only when the two worlds, the upper and lower, are evenly balanced, and at that time [of the incident of Gibeah] they were not evenly balanced. Hence sinners of Israel are not made the agents of the King to punish other sinners of Israel, since they do not come from the side of the left. We may illustrate by the following parable. Certain men having offended against the king, an officer was charged to arrest and punish them. One clever fellow among them went and mixed himself with the officer's men. The officer, however, detected him and said: "Who said you could join us? Are you not one of those who have offended against the king? You shall be punished first." So Israel come from the side of the right and do not attach themselves to the left or mingle with it. Sometimes, however, through their sins they cause the Right to be weakened and the Left to be aroused, with all those that belong to it. Should, then, an Israelite try to insinuate himself among them, if they detect him they say: "Are you not one of those who come from the side of the right which is enfeebled because of their sins? Are you not one of those who have sinned against the king? Who allowed you to come amongst us?" So he is punished first. And King Solomon points openly to these people in the words: "What time one man hath power over another to his hurt" (Eccles. VIII, 9) -- verily to his own hurt, because he is not the agent of the king and does not come from that side.' Said R. Eleazar: 'Verily it is so, since we have learnt that there is a left and there is a right, mercy and judgement, Israel to the right and the idolatrous nations to the left. Israel, although they sin and are humbled, yet they belong to the right and do not cleave to the left nor mingle with it. Therefore it is written, "Save thy right hand and answer us" (Ps. LX, 6), for when the Right Hand is exalted, Israel that cleave to it are exalted and crowned through it, and then the Left Hand and all who come from its side are humbled with it; hence it is written: "Thy right hand, O Lord, breaketh in pieces the enemy" (Ex. XV, 6).'

R. Eleazar then discoursed on the verse: "And it came to pass on the eighth day", etc. He said: 'This "eighth day" has reference to the preceding statement. "for he shall consecrate you seven days" (Lev. VIII, 33). Why seven days? Happy indeed are the priests who are crowned with the crowns of the holy King, and anointed with the holy oil, because thereby is put in motion the supernal oil which moistens all the Seven and from which the seven lamps are lit, this oil comprising them all, as we have learnt that there are six, and this is the consummation of all; hence, "seven days he shall consecrate you". Therefore, too, the Community of Israel is called "Bathsheba" (lit. daughter of seven), because She is the consummation of six others. After this septet had perfected the priests and crowned them and anointed them, when they reached the Community of Israel, which is the eighth, Aaron was commanded to offer a calf, to atone for the sin of that other calf which Aaron made, thereby sinning against the "cow", which is the eighth, the completion of the guardians of Israel. Thus the priest is found complete in all, in the eight different vestments and in all crowns, complete above and below. Now, on all solemn occasions some act must be manifested, and therefore a ceremony was performed with Aaron below to produce a corresponding reaction above, and in this way worlds were blessed through the mediation of the priest. Aaron had to bring a calf for a sin-offering on account of the sin he had previously committed. Also a ram for a burnt-offering. Why a ram? Because of the ram of Isaac, who was a perfect burnt-offering, and this also was brought to make the sacrifice complete. Thus the calf was brought for its own sake and the ram to complete it [37b] duly with the perfection of Isaac. Israel, who shared the sin of the priest, had to bring a similar offering, viz., "an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord", an ox for their sin and a ram to complete this place with the perfection of Isaac. The term "sin-offering" is not used in connection with Israel as with the priest, because Israel had already suffered their punishment in many places, and therefore God did not wish to mention their sin; hence it is written here, "for a peace offering" and not "for a sin-offering", as a sign of peace, to show that God had been reconciled with Israel in respect or this. Aaron, however, who had been saved from punishment through the prayer of Moses (v. Deut. IX, 20), and whose guilt still hung over him, had to bring a sin-offering, that his sin might be atoned for and that he should be purified and whole. On that day upper and lower beings reached their perfection, and there was peace everywhere in the joy of heaven and earth, and but for the tragedy of the sons of Aaron on that day there would have been no such joy above and below from the day that the Israelites came up from the Red Sea. On that day the sin of the Golden Calf was wiped out, and priests and people were cleansed of it. On that day all the accusers above were silenced, and they circled round Israel without being able to find any spot at which to attack them until the hour arrived when Nadab and Abihu rose up and spoilt the general joy, and wrath descended on the world. We have learnt that on that day it was the joy of the Community of Israel to be united [with her Spouse] by the bond of faith with all holy ties (for the incense binds all -- hence its name), [2] and they came and linked all the others together and left Her outside, and linked up something else.' Said R. Phineas to him: 'Do not say that they left her outside, but only that the Community of Israel was not united [to the rest] through them, [3] for wherever male and female are not found together, the Community of Israel does not abide. Therefore it is written, "With this shall Aaron come into the sanctuary" (Lev. XVI, 3), which was a warning to him that he should be male with female; and therefore a priest should not enter the sanctuary till he is married, in order that he may have a share in the union of the Community of Israel.' R. Jose referred in this connection to the verse: "As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters" (S.S. II, 2). 'As has been explained,' he said, 'this verse is spoken by the Holy One, blessed be He, in praise of the Community of Israel in His love and desire for Her, and therefore it is a married man who should utter the praises of the Holy One; blessed be He, and of the Community of Israel. For, since he cleaves to his spouse and devotes his affection to her, when he comes to serve before the Holy God he awakens another love, that of the Holy One, blessed be He, for the Community of Israel. And for this the Holy One blesses him and the Community of Israel blesses him. [38a] For the Community of Israel is blessed by the priest and the Israelite is blessed by the priest, and the priest is blessed by the Supernal Priest, as it is said: "And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them" (Num. VI, 27).'

It is written: "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses, for they have been ever of old" (me'olam, lit. from the world, Ps. XXV, 6). "Mercies" here refers to Jacob and "lovingkindnessess' to Abraham. God takes them from the world and raises them aloft, and makes of them a holy Chariot to shield the world. So God does with all the righteous. It may be asked, why is there no reference to Isaac here ? He was left over to punish those who oppress his offspring, and is referred to in the verse, "Arouse thy might" (Ps. LXXX, 3); and again, "The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war" (Isa. XLII, 13). R. Hiya said: 'Jacob and Abraham we require to shield us, but Isaac's function is to make war, and therefore we do not desire him to be associated with them. We may also explain the words "for they are from the world" thus. When God created the world He took Isaac and created with him the world. He saw that it would not be able to endure, so He supported it with Abraham. He saw that it needed further support, so He took Jacob and joined him with Isaac. Hence the world is supported by Abraham and Jacob, and they are "from the world".' [4] [38b]

AND MOSES SAID UNTO ELEAZAR AND ITHAMAR, LET NOT THE HAIR OF YOUR HEADS GO LOOSE, ETC....FOR THE ANOINTING OIL OF THE LORD IS UPON YOU. R. Abba said: 'All joy above derives from the Holy Oil, from which issue gladness and blessings to all the Lamps, and with the stream of which the Supernal Priest is crowned. Therefore the priest on earth on whom the anointing oil has flowed must display a smiling and joyful countenance, and there must be no blemish on his head or his attire or anywhere else, that he may not cause a blemish in another place. Hence had Eleazar and Ithamar allowed any blemish to appear at that moment on their heads or their garments they would not have been delivered, for it was a time of judgement. So we have learnt that when a plague is rife a man should not apply himself to any undertaking lest he become a marked man. Hence it is written, "lest ye die. But let your brethren the whole house of Israel bewail the burning", because they did not come from the side of the priests, and therefore would not be injured.'

R. Eleazar here adduced the verse: "And Aaron took him Elisheba, the daughter of Aminadab, the sister of Nahshon, to wife" (Ex. VI, 23). 'Aaron', he said, 'acted fitly, copying the supernal model. "Elisheba" was destined for Aaron from the time of the Creation, just as "Bathsheba" [5] was destined for David from the time of the Creation. Both are one, but the one name refers to judgement, the other to mercy. When she was joined with David, it was for judgement, to wage war and shed blood. Here with Aaron it was for peace, for joy, for gladness and blessing. Hence with David she is called Bathsheba, and with Aaron Elisheba: Elisheba (lit. to seven) to show that she was joined to Grace; Bathsheba (daughter of seven) to signify that she inherited royalty and power. [6] [39a] Hence, "Aaron took Elisheba" to gratify her, to rejoice her, to join her with the King in a perfect union, that blessings might be diffused through all worlds by means of Aaron. Hence the priest must be ever smiling and joyful, since he is the instrument of joy and blessing, and in this way punishment, wrath and gloom are removed from him, that he may not be disqualified for the place to which he is linked.'

DRINK NO WINE NOR STRONG DRINK, THOU NOR THY SONS, ETC. R Judah said: 'The fact that this injunction was given to the priests shows that Nadab and Abihu were under the influence of wine.' R. Hiya adduced here the verse: "Wine rejoiceth the heart of man" (Ps. CIV, 15). 'If', he said, the priest requires to be glad and smiling more than other men, why is he forbidden wine, which creates joy and smiles? The truth is that wine rejoices at first and saddens afterwards, and the priest must be glad throughout. Also wine is of the side of the Levites, but the side of the priests is pure and clear water.' R Jose said: 'Each lends to the other, and therefore wine gladdens at first because it contains water, but afterwards it reverts to its own nature and brings gloom.' R Abba said: 'Wine, oil and water issue from the same place. Water and oil, which are on the right, are taken by the priests, especially oil, which is joy first and last, as it is written: "Like the goodly oil upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard" (Ps. CXXXIII, 2). Wine, which is on the left, is inherited by the Levites, that they may raise their voices in song and not be silent, for wine is never silent, but oil is always noiseless. The difference between them is this. Oil comes from the side of Thought, which is always silent and unheard, whereas wine, which is for raising the voice, comes from the side of the Mother. Therefore the priest, when he entered the Sanctuary to perform divine service, was forbidden to drink wine, because his service is carried out quietly.'

R Judah and R Isaac were once going from Be Merunia to Sepphoris, and with them was a youth leading an ass, on which was a jar of honey. Said R Judah: 'Let us discourse on the Torah as we go.' R Isaac began by quoting the verse: "And thy palate is like the best wine that goeth down smoothly for my beloved" (S.S. VII, 9). 'This wine', he said, 'is the wine of the Torah, which is in truth good, because there is another wine which is not good. But the wine of the Torah is good for all -- good for this world and good for the world to come. This, too, is the wine that pleases the Holy One, blessed be He, more than all, and therefore he who quaffs deeply of the wine of the Torah will wake in the world to come and will come to life when God shall raise the righteous.' Said R. Judah: 'We have learnt that even in that world he will be able to study the Torah, as it is written, "He causeth to mutter the lips of the sleepers" (Ibid.).' The youth hereupon remarked: 'If it had been written, "thy palate is from the best wine", your explanation would have been correct, but it is written "like the best wine".' They looked at him, and R. Judah said: 'Speak on, for your remark is a good one.' He continued: 'I have heard that if a man who studies the Torah diligently allows his expositions to be heard and does not merely whisper them, [39b] then he is like good wine, which also is not silent and causes the voice to be raised. When he departs from this world, then "my beloved goeth straight forward", turning neither to the right nor the left, and none interferes with him; and in that world, too, his lips mutter words of the Torah. I have further heard that this verse was addressed to the Community of Israel in her praise. It may be asked, who is it that praises her thus, for if it is the Holy One, blessed be He, we should expect "for me" instead of "for my beloved". However, the Holy One does in truth praise the Community of Israel thus, in response to Her praises. As She says, "His palate is sweet", He replies, "Thy palate is like the best wine", to wit, the wine that has been treasured from the Creation. "My beloved" is Isaac, who is called "beloved from the womb", and "straight forward" means, to unite the left with the right, through the joy diffused by that wine. Hence "causing to mutter the lips of the sleepers", because all are awakened with joy and blessing, and all worlds rejoice and rouse themselves to pour down blessings below.' R. Judah and R. Isaac approached him joyfully and kissed him. They said to him: 'What is your name ?' He replied: 'Jesse.' They said: 'You shall be Rabbi Jesse: you shall become more famous than our colleague Rabbi Jesse who has departed from us.' They then said to him: 'Who is your father?' He replied: 'He is no longer alive. He used to teach me every day three expositions of the Torah, and every night three pieces of Agadaic lore. What I have just told you I learnt from my father, and now I live with a man who will not let me study, and makes me work all day, and so every day I go over again the things I learnt from my father.' They said to him: 'Does that man know anything of the Torah?' He replied: 'He does not. He is an old man and he cannot say Grace, and he has sons whom he does not send to school.' Said R. Judah: 'If that were not the case, I would go into that village to talk to him about you, but after what you tell me, it would be wrong of us to look at him. Leave your ass, therefore, and come along with us.' They then asked him who his father was. He replied: 'R. Zeira of Kfar Ramin.' On hearing this R. Judah wept and said: 'I was once in his house, and I learnt from him three things concerning the Cup of Benediction and two relating to the work of Creation.' Said R. Isaac: 'Seeing that we could learn from his son, how much more from himself!'

So they went along holding his hand until they came to a field where they sat down. They said to him: 'Tell us something that your father taught you concerning the work of Creation.' He thereupon discoursed on the verse: "And God created the great sea-monsters," etc. (Gen. I, 21). He said: 'The name Elohim is usually applied to the place of judgement, but here it is applied to the most high place from which judgements issue, for although it is intrinsically a place of Mercy, yet judgements issue from it and depend upon it. The "great sea-monsters" are the "Patriarchs", which. are watered first and spread their roots throughout all. "And every living creature" (lit. living soul): this is the soul which the supernal Earth brought forth from the "living creature" (hayah), which is the highest of all, to wit, the soul of the first man which formed in its midst. "That moveth": this is the "living creature" (hayah) that moves about on all sides above and below. "Which the waters brought forth abundantly", namely the waters of that supernal stream which issues from Eden and waters the Tree there that it may spread its roots and provide food for all. "And every winged fowl after its kind": these are the holy angels whose function it is to sanctify the name of their Master every day, or to perform the messages of their Master in this world.' Said R. Judah: 'This is really too much for one so young to know, and I foresee that he will be removed to a place of eminence.' R. Isaac said: [40a] 'The "living creature that moveth" is the Hayah that is supreme above all, there being also another which is called by Scripture "earth". The expression here, "and let fowl multiply in the earth", means in the earth and not in the water, because the original stream flows on undivided up to that place which is called "earth" but from there, as it says, "it separates", etc. (Gen. II, 10); and the "fowl" mentioned are watered from this "earth".'

They then rose and went on their way, and R. Judah said: 'Let us take this youth into our company, and let each of us give some exposition of the Torah.' He then commenced with the verse: "Stay ye me with raisins, comfort me with apples", etc. (S.S. II, 5). He said: 'The Community of Israel speaks thus in exile. Support is needed by one who falls, and therefore the Community of Israel, of whom it is written, "she is fallen, she shall no more rise" (Amos V, 2), requires support, and she says, "Stay me". To whom does she say this? To her children who are in exile with her. And with what shall they support her? "With raisins": these are the "patriarchs", who are the first to be replenished with that good wine stored away from the Creation; and when they are replenished, blessings light upon her through the agency of a certain grade, namely the Righteous One, and so he who knows how to unify the Holy Name, even though blessings are not vouchsafed to the world, supports and stays the Community of Israel in exile. "Comfort me with apples": this is the same, and it also contains an inner meaning. Raisins intoxicate, but apples sober. Hence raisins to excite, and apples to see that the intoxication does not harm. And why all this? Because "I am sick of love" in the exile. He who unifies the Holy Name must fitly join Mercy with Justice, and this is what supports the Community of Israel in exile.'

R. Isaac took the verse: "Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices and drink the wine of their drink offering". He said: 'Happy are Israel in that they are holy, and God desired to sanctify them. All the life of this world that they inherit is derived from the World-to-come, because that is life both above and below, and the place where the "treasured wine" commences, and from which life and holiness issue. And Israel use wine on account of the wine of another Israel, for the supernal Israel derives life therefrom, and therefore they bless the Holy One with wine. Hence, when the idolater, who is unclean and defiles anyone who associates with him, touches the wine of Israel it becomes unclean and is forbidden; all the more the wine which he himself makes. All the practices of Israel are on the supernal pattern, and especially their offering of wine, which holds a very high rank, like the "treasured wine". Hence Israel drink the wine of Israel which has been made in holiness, as is fitting, just as the Israel above drinks of that holy wine, and they do not drink wine which has been made in defilement and from the side of defilement, for the spirit of uncleanness rests on it, and if one drinks it his spirit is defiled and he is not of the side of Israel and has no share in the World-to-come, which is the "treasured wine". Hence God is blessed with wine above all, because wine rejoices the Left side and in that joy merges itself in the Right, and when the whole becomes Right the Holy Name is glad, and blessings are everywhere diffused.' [40b]

The youth then followed, taking as his text: "The king by judgement establisheth the land, but a man of offerings overthroweth it" (Prov. XXIX, 4). 'The king here', he said, 'is the Holy One, blessed be He. "Judgement" is Jacob, who is the epitome of the patriarchs. "A man of offerings" is Esau, who used to ask questions about offerings, but never bring any. Or again, I can say that "offerings" is the negation of judgement, being the elevation of mercy, and therefore "a man of offerings overthroweth it". But was not David "a man of offerings", and yet the land was established by him? This was because it is written of him, "the sure mercies of David"; as he clung to one quality, so did he cling to the other. All his days David strove that this "offering" should be united with judgement. Solomon came and wedded them together, so that the moon became full and the land was established. Zedekiah came and parted them, and the land was left without judgement, and the moon was impaired and the land was devastated. Note that oil was for the priests and wine for the Levites -- not because they require wine. but from the "treasured wine" some comes to their side to link the whole together and make all worlds glad. right and left being found clasped together in them. so that they should be beloved of the true believers. Whoso concentrates his thought on this is perfect in this world and in the world to come. and all his days clings to repentance, the place where oil and wine are found. In this way he will not hanker after this world or its delights, for another kind of wealth is stored up for him, and he has a share in the future world, the place where oil and wine are stored. And he who loves this place does not require wealth or strive for it. Happy are the righteous who all their days strive after the celestial wealth of which it is written, "Gold and glass cannot equal it. neither shall the exchange thereof be jewels of fine gold" (Job XXVIII, 17).'

He further discoursed on the verse: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me, and I will give thee ... the law and the commandment which I have written to teach them" (Ex. XXIV, 12). 'The word lehorotham (to teach them) may be read lehoratham (to her that conceived them), the "them" referring to the law and the commandment. "She that conceived them" is the place of "treasured wine", because all writing of the Supernal Book commences there. and from thence issues the Torah which we call the Written Torah. The other Torah is called the Oral Torah (Torah of the mouth), the "mouth" being Knowledge which is the mouth of book and writing.

'It is written: "Take away the wicked from before the king and his throne shall be established in lovingkindness" (Prov. XXV, 3). When sinners are numerous in the world, the throne of the holy King is established in judgement and flames play around the world. But when the wicked are removed from the world, His throne is established in lovingkindness and not in judgement. This shows that the lower world depends on the higher, and the higher is disposed according to the conduct of the lower. [41a] We further learn from this verse that when the priest enters the sanctuary he should enter with lovingkindness, of which the emblem is water, and not with wine, which is the emblem of severity.' R. Judah and R. Isaac then came and kissed his head, and from that day he never left R. Judah, and when he entered the House of Study, R. Judah used to rise before him, saying: 'I have learnt something from him, and it is fitting that I should show him respect.' Afterwards he became one of the Companions and they used to call him "R. Jesse the hammerhead that breaks rocks and makes the sparks fly in all directions", and R. Eleazar used to apply to him the verse: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee" (Jer. I, 4).

AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES AND TO AARON SAYING, THESE ARE THE LIVING THINGS WHICH YE SHALL EAT, ETC. Why was Aaron joined with Moses here? Because it was always his function to divide between the clean and the unclean. R. Abba expounded in this connection the verse: "What man is he that desireth life and loveth many days that he may see good?" (Ps. XXXIV, 13). 'Life here', he said, 'is the life which is called " the world to come", where true life abides. Similarly the "tree of life" means the tree that springs from that life and is planted therein. By "days" here is signified the name of the Holy King which is attached to the supernal days called "the days of the heaven over the earth". He who desires to have a portion in the higher life and to cleave to the supernal days should above all keep guard over his mouth and his tongue. He should preserve his mouth from food and drink which defile the soul and remove man from those supernal days and life, and he should keep his tongue from words of evil so as not to be defiled by them. Further, "mouth" and "tongue" are names given to supernal places, and therefore a man should be careful not to bring a stain on his mouth and tongue.'

THESE ARE THE LIVING THINGS WHICH YE SHALL EAT ... AMONG ALL THE BEASTS. Why does it say first "living things" and then "beasts"? What it means is that as long as Israel keep their souls from impurity, then they will eat "living things" so as to be of a high grade of holiness and cleave to God's Name through rejecting the "beasts" which are not selected as clean. But if they do not keep themselves from unclean food and drink, then they shall cleave to another unclean place and be defiled by it. The eating, however, of the animals selected will be clean and will not defile them nor deprive them of a share in God's Name. Again, we may lay stress on the word zoth (this) and interpret: zoth (i.e. the Shekinah) confronts you to punish you if you defile your souls, because your souls are from her, and therefore she stands before you for good or ill. R. Eleazar said: 'Of all the beasts that are attached to one side you may eat, and of all that do not come from that side you may not eat. For there are beasts that come [41b] from either side, and both sides have their signs. Hence, whoever eats of those that come from the unclean side defiles therewith himself and his soul, which comes from the side of purity.'

R. Simeon said: 'As there are ten Crowns of Faith above, so there are ten crowns of unclean sorcery below. All things on earth are attached either to one side or to the other. It may be asked, What of the goat in which dwells an unclean spirit, and is yet permitted? This is not really so, for if an unclean spirit dwelt in it, we should not be permitted to eat it. The fact is that the evil spirit passes through it and appears in front of it, but is not allowed to dwell in it. For when the evil spirit comes to take possession of it, another spirit passes by, and the evil spirit departs from it, though still appearing in front of it; and therefore it is not forbidden to us as food. Cattle, beasts, birds and fishes show signs of right or left, and whichever comes from the right we may eat and whichever comes from the left we may not eat, because an unclean spirit dwells in them; wherefore the holy spirit of Israel must not be mixed up with them, in order that they may remain holy and be recognized as such above and below. Happy is the portion of Israel in that the holy King delights in them and desires to sanctify and purify them above all others because they cling to Him. It is written, "Israel in whom I am glorified" (Isa. XLIX, 3). If the Holy One, blessed be He, takes pride in Israel, how can they go and defile themselves and cling to the other, unclean side? Therefore it is written, "Sanctify yourselves therefore and be ye holy, for I am holy"; he that is in the likeness of the king should not depart from the ways of the king. Happy the portion of Israel of whom it is written, "All that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed" (Isa. LXI, 9). Whoever eats of these unclean foods cleaves to the other side and defiles himself and shows that he has no portion in the most high God and comes not from His side, and if he departs in this state from this world he is seized by those who belong to the side of uncleanness, who punish him as a man spurned of his Master, and there is no healing to his defilement and he never escapes from it.' R. Jose said: 'King Solomon wrote in his wisdom: "All the labour of man is for his mouth" (Eccles. VI, 7). This signifies that all the punishment [42a] which a man undergoes in the other world is on account of his mouth, because he did not guard it and through it defiled his soul.' R. Isaac said: 'For one to defile himself with unclean foods is like serving idols; just as he who serves idols quits the side of life and of the domain of holiness for another domain, so likewise he who eats unclean foods is defiled both in this world and the next, for these were assigned to the idolatrous peoples, who are already unclean and come from the side of uncleanness.'

R. Eleazar once said to his father: 'We have learnt that God will one day purify Israel; with what?' He answered: 'With that which is mentioned in the verse, "And I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean" (Ezek. XXXVI, 25). And when they are purified they shall be sanctified and called holy, as it is written, "Holy is Israel to the Lord" (Jer. II, 3). Happy are Israel of whom God has said: "Ye shall be holy for I am holy", because it is written, "And to him ye shall cleave" (Deut. X, 20).'

_______________

Notes:

1. The appearance of the rainbow was supposed to indicate a lack of virtue in the generation. Cf. Zohar, Gen. 225a.

2. Ketoreth, connected with katar, Aramaic for "bind".

3. Because they were not married.

4. The text here inserts a passage which in substance is merely a repetition of p. 37a, "R. Eleazar discoursed ... " to p. 37b, "something else".

5. v. p. 37a.

6. The text here introduces a brief digression on the esoteric significance of the "voice of the trumpet", the substance of which has already appeared elsewhere.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:48 am

KI TAZRIA'

Leviticus XII, 1-XIII, 59

AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES SAYING, WHEN A WOMAN, ETC. [42a] R. Abba cited here the verse: "By night upon my bed I sought him", etc. (S.S. III, 1). 'This verse', he said, 'is spoken by the Community of Israel who in the exile lies in the dust, in an alien unclean land, and therefore complains of her bed and beseeches "him whom her soul loveth" to deliver her from thence. She "seeks him but finds him not", for it is not his way to unite [42b] with her save in his temple. She "calls him and he answers not", for She dwells among other peoples, and only his sons hear his voice.' R Isaac interpreted thus: '"I make plaint to him of my bed, that he may unite with me to gladden and bless me", for, as we have learnt, from the union of the King with the Community of Israel many righteous ones obtain a holy inheritance and many blessings accrue to the world.' R. Abba was once going from Kfar Kania to the cave of Lydda, along with R. Jose and R. Hiya. Said R. Jose: 'It is written: "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband" (Prov. XII, 4). The virtuous woman', he said 'is the Community of Israel, and "she that maketh ashamed" refers to the idolatrous nations whom God cannot abide, as it says "I abhorred them" (Lev. XX, 23).' Said R. Abba: 'Assuredly it is so; the Community of Israel is called a "woman of valour" (hayil) because she is the mistress of so many legions of valiant ones (hayalin).' R Abba then said: 'Let each of us give some exposition of the Torah', and he himself commenced with the verse: "A virtuous woman who can find ?" (Prov. XXXI, 10). 'The "virtuous woman", he said, 'is the Community of Israel, as we have just explained. "Who shall find": who shall succeed in being wholly in her and always with her? "Far above rubies is her price" (michrah, lit. selling): those who do not truly and wholeheartedly cleave to her she sells into the hands of other peoples, and they are removed far from those precious holy pearls and have no share in them.' R. Hiya then expounded the next verse: "The heart of her husband trusteth in her, and she shall have no lack of spoil". 'The "husband",' he said, 'is the Holy One, blessed be He, who hath appointed her to govern the whole world and placed in her hands all his armoury and warriors; wherefore she "lacketh not spoil".' R. Jose took the next verse: "She doeth him good and not evil all the days of her life". 'She provides good for the world, for the temple of the King and those who frequent it. When is this? When those "days of the heaven" shine upon her and unite with her fitly, these being then the "days of her life", because the Tree of Life has sent to her life and shines upon her.' Said R. Abba: 'All this is well said, and all these verses can be applied to the Community of Israel.'

IF A WOMAN CONCEIVE SEED. We have learnt that if a woman conceives the seed first, the child is a male. Said R. Aha: 'But have we not learnt that God decrees whether the semen is to be male or female?' R. Jose replied: 'Indeed, God distinguishes whether the germ itself comes from a male or female source, [1] and therefore He decrees whether the child is to be male or female.' R. Aha also asked why the word "conceive-seed" is used instead of merely "conceive". R. Jose answered: 'A woman from the time she becomes pregnant till she is delivered can talk of nothing but the child she is to bear, whether it is to be a boy or a girl.'

R. Hizkiah adduced here the verse: "O Lord, how manifold are thy works" (Ps. CIV, 24). 'How manifold', he said, 'are the works of the Holy King in the world! He is like a man who takes in his hand a number of [43a] bundles of seed and sows them all at once, and in time each kind comes up separately. So the Holy One, blessed be He, accomplished His work with wisdom; with wisdom He took all together and sowed them and afterwards they all issued each in its time, as it says: "In wisdom hast thou made them all".' R. Abba said: 'They were all secreted in Wisdom, and they did not issue into being save by certain paths alongside of Understanding (Binah), whence they become firmly established. Observe that when a man goes to unite with his wife in sanctity, his holy thought awakens a spirit compounded of male and female, and God signals to a messenger who is in 'charge of the conception of human beings and entrusts to him that spirit and informs him where to deposit it, and also lays various injunctions on the spirit itself. Then the spirit goes down to earth along with a certain form which bore its image above, and in that form it is created and goes about in this world; and so long as that form is with a man, he retains his form in this world.

'In the book of the sorceries of Asmodai we find that one who knows how to practise magic from the side of the left should rise by the light of the lamp and utter certain incantations and call the unclean sides by their names and prepare his forms for those whom he invites and say he is ready for their commands. Then that man passes out of the dominion of his Master and places himself in charge of the unclean side. And through his incantations two spirits appear in the shape of men which show him how to confer certain benefits or do certain kinds of harm at certain specified times. It is forbidden to a man to abandon any vessel of his house into the possession of the "other side", for many emissaries are in wait to punish such an act, and from that time blessings do not rest upon him -- all the more if he assigns to the "other side" the most precious part of himself. For from that time he belongs to it, and when the time comes for the celestial form which has been given to him to depart from this world, the evil spirit to which he clung comes and takes it, and it is never again restored to him.

'When the soul is about to descend to this world, it first goes down to the terrestrial Garden of Eden and sees there the glory of the souls of the righteous, and then it goes down to Gehinnom and sees the wicked who cry "Woe, woe", and find no compassion. That holy form stands by him until he emerges into the world, [43b] after which it keeps him company and grows up with him. Observe that all spirits are compounded of male and female, and when they go forth into the world they go forth as both male and female, and afterwards the two elements are separated. If a man is worthy they are afterwards united, and it is then that he truly meets his mate and there is a perfect union both in spirit and flesh. Hence it is written here: "When a woman conceives seed and bears a male", and not "male and female together", since on account of the ways of the world they are not united (at birth) as they were when they issued from on high, because the first man and his mate sinned before God. Therefore they are separated until, if a man is worthy, it pleases God to restore to him his mate. But if he is not worthy, she is given to another, and they bear children whom they should not.' R. Eleazar said: 'This is not so. All at first comprise both male and female, and they are separated afterwards. But if the woman bears a male, they are then united from the side of the right, and if she bears a female, from the side of the left, this side being then predominant. Hence, if the male child issues from the side of the left, he is effeminate, but if from the side of the right, he has mastery over the female.

'Many myriads are brought forth at every hour, but they are not called souls until they are settled in a body, and this is only after thirty-three days.

'SHE SHALL BE UNCLEAN SEVEN DAYS. Because for seven days spirits do not go in to abide with her; for seven days the spirit seeks for its place in the body, and only on the eighth day does it settle there so that body and soul may appear before the Matrona and unite with Her.

'AND SHE SHALL CONTINUE IN THE BLOOD OF HER PURIFYING THREE AND THIRTY DAYS. These are to allow the spirit to settle in the body. The three extra days are the first three after the circumcision, during which the child is in pain and the spirit cannot settle down in the body.

'SHE SHALL TOUCH NO HALLOWED THING. Every day the Community of Israel takes from the household of the King food for the spirits of men and feeds [44a] them in holiness, save for these, the spirits of which have not yet settled in the bodies. But after thirty-three days She tends them like all other human beings, because their spirits are united with their bodies as in all other men. In the case of a female double the number of days is required, because, as stated above, the side of the left is predominant, and therefore it takes twice as long in the case of a female for the spirit to be united with the body.'

R. Judah adduced here the verse: "There is none holy as the Lord, for there is none beside thee, neither is there any rock like our God" (I Sam. II, 2). 'Are there then other holy ones or other rocks besides the Lord? Yes, there are holy ones above, as it is written: "The demand is by the word of the holy ones" (Dan. IV, 14), and Israel are holy below, but none are holy like the Lord, because "there is none beside thee", that is, God's holiness is not like their holiness, for He does not require their holiness, but they could not be holy without Him. Also, "there is no rock (zur) like our God", or, as we may translate, "no fashioner like our God", as explained elsewhere; for the Holy One, blessed be He, shapes a form within a form, and finishes it and breathes into it the breath of life and brings it out into the open.'

R. Hiya and R. Aha were sitting one night with R. Abba. They rose at midnight to study the Torah, and when they went outside they saw a star strike another star three times and put out its light. They then heard two voices from different directions, one from the north above and one [44b] below, which proclaimed: "Go now in to your places, now the hollow of the abyss is closed and the Holy One, blessed be He, goes into the Garden to have joyous communion with the righteous there". The voice then died away, and R. Aha and R. Abba turned their heads and said: 'Verily this is the hour when the Community of Israel arises to join the Holy King. Verily the Community of Israel meets the Holy One, blessed be He, only with song and praise until morning, and the King twines round her a thread of grace, and not round her alone but round all who accompany her. Let us go and join her.' So they all sat down.

R. Aha then discoursed on the verse: "And the Lord God said. It is not good that the man should be alone". etc. (Gen. II, 18). He said: 'Was man then alone? Is it not written. "male and female he created them". and we have learnt that man was created "with two faces"? What it means, however. is that the male did not concern himself with the female and had no support from her; she was at his side and they were like one from the back. Therefore God sawed him in two and separated the female from him and brought her to the man. so that they should be face to face. And when she was gathered in to man. then God blessed them. like the reader of the service who blesses the bride with seven blessings. Therefore he who unites with the wife of another impairs the [divine] union, for the union of the Community of Israel is with the Holy One, blessed be He. alone. whether it is a time with him of mercy or of judgement. He who joins with the wife of another is like one who denies the Holy One. blessed be He. and the Community of Israel. and therefore he does not obtain forgiveness by repentance until he departs from the world. until he enters repentant into the other world to receive his punishment.' R. Eleazar said: 'He who denies the Community of Israel is not received as a penitent until he has been punished in Gehinnom; all the more so if he denies both the Community of Israel and the Holy One. blessed be He, and all the more so if he caused God the trouble of forming a bastard in the wife of another.' R. Hiya said: 'It is written, "Whoso robbeth his father and his mother", etc. (Prov. XXVIII, 24). The "father" here'. he said. 'is the Holy One, blessed be He, and the "mother" is the Community of Israel; and we have learnt. Whoever enjoys anything of this world without a blessing is like one who robs the Holy One and the Community of Israel. So he who has enjoyment of his wife without a blessing is like one who robs the Holy One and the Community of Israel, because their union is consummated by seven blessings. Further. he is "the companion of the destroyer" (Ibid.). because he impairs the celestial form and arrangement: all the more so. then, one who covets the wife of another to cleave to her.' [45a]

R. Abba then discoursed on the verse: "And he said. Let me go, for the day breaketh" (Gen. XXXII, 26).... [2] 'Why was not the angel able to prevail over Jacob? Because the sun had risen and his strength was crippled .... For when the light appears, all the emissaries of punishment are restrained, and then the Community of Israel communes with the Holy One, blessed be He, and that hour is a time of grace for all, and the King holds out to her and all who are with her his sceptre of the thread of grace so that they may be wholly united to the holy King. Observe this. When the Holy One, blessed be He, is in the company of the Community of Israel, if she first makes approaches to him and draws him towards her in the strength of her love and desire, then she is replenished from the side of the right and multitudes from the side of the right are found in all worlds. But if the Holy One, blessed be He, is the first to make advances and she [45b] only rouses herself afterwards, then all is on the side of the female and many multitudes arise on the side of the left in all worlds. Hence it is written: "When a woman conceives seed and bears a male", etc., the lower world being on the model of the upper, and in all things a man should concentrate his thoughts above on the Holy One, blessed be He, that grace may abound in the world. Happy are the righteous who know how to concentrate their thoughts on the holy King; of them it is written: "Ye who cleave unto the Lord your God are all alive this day" (Deut. IV, 4).

WHEN A MAN SHALL HAVE IN THE SKIN OF HIS FLESH A RISING OR A SCAB OR A BRIGHT SPOT, ETC. R. Judah here cited the verse: "Look not upon me because I am swarthy, because the sun hath scorched me", etc. (S.S. 1, 6). 'When the Moon was hidden in the exile and she saw the yearning of Israel for her, she said, "Look not on me", meaning, "You cannot see me, because I am in darkness -- for one thing because the sun has withdrawn his light from me, and for another because "the sons of my mother were incensed against me" (Ibid.), these being the emissaries of the side of severity. "They made me keeper of the vineyards", that is, of other nations, whereas "my own vineyard" -- Israel -- I cannot keep. Formerly I kept my own vineyard and through it the others were also kept; now I have to keep the others that my own may be kept among them.' As R. Hiya and R. Jose were once going along, they came to a field where there was a balsam tree on the right. Said R. Jose: 'A pall of smoke must come before our eyes; it is forbidden us to look upon any glad sight since the day when the Temple was destroyed.' He then expounded the verse: "The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein" (Ps. XXIV, 1). 'This "earth"', he said, 'is the holy earth which is called "the land of the living", while "the world" refers to other lands.' R. Hiya said: 'The "earth" is as you said; the "fulness thereof" is the souls of the righteous; the "world" is this earth, and "they that dwell therein" are mankind.' Said R. Jose: 'If so, what do you make of the next verse: "For he hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters"?' He replied: 'Assuredly that "land of the living" is established upon the seas and rivers which issue from that supernal River that proceeds from Eden.'

As they were going along they came across a man standing under a tree whose face was full of the marks of blows. They noticed [46a] that his face was all red from the blows. Said R. Hiya to him: 'Who are you ?' He replied: 'I am a Jew.' Said R. Jose: 'He must be a sinner, as otherwise his face would not have all those marks, and these are not what are called "chastisements of love".' Said R. Hiya: 'Assuredly that is so, for the "chastisements of love" are hidden from view. So with the plague of leprosy, of those marks which are visible to all, it is written, "And the priest shall see and declare him unclean", for assuredly those come from the side of uncleanness and are not chastisements of love. In the same way, he who reproves his neighbour in love should not let other men hear in order that he may not be ashamed; and if he reproves him publicly he does not show true friendship. So God, in reproving a man, acts with him lovingly. At first He smites him inwardly. If he repents, well and good, but if not, he smites him under his garments, and this is called "chastisement of love". If he still does not repent, God smites him on his face where all can see, so that they may know that he is a sinner and not beloved of his Master.' The man thereupon said to them: 'You are in a conspiracy against me: of a surety you are of those who frequent the house of R. Simeon ben Yohai, who have no fear of anyone. If my sons were to come up, they would punish you for speaking thus loudly.' They said: 'The Law teaches us to do so, as it says, "Wisdom crieth in the chief places of concourse", etc. (Prov. I, 21). If we were to be afraid to speak words of the Torah before thee, we should be ashamed before God.' The man thereupon lifted up his hands and wept. Meanwhile his sons came up. The youngest one said: 'The support of heaven is here. King Solomon said: "All have I seen in the days of my vanity" (Eccl. VII, 15). In the days of King Solomon the moon was full, and Solomon was the wisest of men and he saw all: he saw "All" attached to the Moon and illuminating her like the sun. Now, when the righteous are numerous in the world, this "All" does not depart from the Sun, and receives all anointing and joy from above to unite with the Moon, for whose sake it is thus enriched. But when sinners are numerous in the world, and the Moon is darkened, the "Righteous One perisheth in his righteousness", that is, he loses all this as he cannot unite with the Moon. Then, too, all the side of the left is aroused, and the prosperity of sinners is prolonged; [46b] hence it is written, "and there is a wicked man who prolongeth his life in his evildoing". Also we may interpret the words, "there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness", to mean that when sinners multiply and judgement impends, the righteous man is seized for their sins, like my father, who has been punished for the sins of the townsfolk who are all law-breakers, because he did not chide them or try to stop them, taking as his guide the verse, "Quarrel not with evildoers, be not zealous against them that work unrighteousness".' His father said: 'In truth God has punished me for this, because I had the power to prevent them and I did not do so, and I did not reprove them either openly or secretly.' His other son then cited the verse: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground", etc. (Gen. II, 7). 'Man was formed with two inclinations, the good and the evil, one corresponding to Water and the other to Fire. The word "man" (adam) indicates a combination of male and female. The dust from which he was formed was that of the Holy Land, of the Sanctuary. "He breathed in his nostrils the breath of life": this is the holy soul which derives from the life above. "And the man became a living soul": he was provided with a holy soul from the supernal "living being" which the earth brought forth. Now, as long as that holy soul is attached to a man, he is beloved of his Master, he is guarded on all sides, he is marked out for good above and below, and the holy divine presence rests upon him. But if he perverts his ways the divine presence leaves him, the super-soul does not cling to him, and from the side of the evil serpent a spirit arises which can abide only in a place whence the heavenly holiness has departed, and so a man becomes defiled and his flesh, his facial appearance and his whole being, is distorted. Observe that because this "living soul" is holy, therefore when the holy land absorbs it, it is called "super-soul" (neshamah); it is this which ascends and speaks before the holy King and enters without let or hindrance in all gates, and therefore it is called "speaking spirit". [3] Hence the Torah proclaims, "Keep thy tongue from evil", etc. (Ps. XXXIV, 14), because if a man's lips and tongue speak evil words, those words mount aloft and all proclaim "keep away from the evil word of so-and-so, leave the path clear for the mighty serpent". Then the holy soul leaves him and is not able to speak: it is in shame and distress, and is not given a place as before. Hence it is written, "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles" (Prov. XXI, 23). For that soul which was vocal is reduced to silence on account of the evil word. Then the serpent gets ready, and when that evil word finds its way to him, then many spirits bestir themselves, and one spirit comes down from that side and finds the man who uttered the evil word, and lights upon him and defiles him, and he becomes leprous. And just as a man is punished for uttering an evil word, so he is punished for not uttering a good word when he had the opportunity, because he harms that speaking spirit which was prepared to speak both above and below in holiness. All the more so if the people walk in crooked ways and he is able to speak to them and reprove them and does not do so. So David said: "I held my peace from good and my trouble was stirred" (Ps. XXXIX, 3), alluding to his leprosy.' [47a) R. Hiya and R. Jose then came and kissed him, and they kept together the whole of that journey.

WHEN A PLAGUE OF LEPROSY IS ON A MAN HE SHALL BE BROUGHT UNTO THE PRIEST. R. Jose said: 'The Companions have studied all the varieties of this plague, and the priest used to know which were chastisements of love and which were a sign that a man was rejected and spurned by his Master; for the plague lights upon mankind according to their works. It is written: "Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to be occupied in deeds of wickedness" (Ps. CXLI, 4).' Said R. Isaac: 'Does God then lead men astray into the ways of sin and evildoing? If so, how can the Torah say, "If thou hearkenest, if thou dost not hearken" ?We should, however, translate: "Do not incline, O my heart, to an evil thing (word), for an evil word brings the plague of leprosy upon the world". The Companions have pointed out that the Aramaic translation of leprosy (segiru) means "shutting up", and indicates shutting up both above and below. In a similar sense it is written: "He hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord" (Num. XIX, 20).' Said R. Eleazar: 'He defiles it because the Divine Presence departs from thence and the mighty serpent takes up his abode there and casts filth there and causes defilement, and all because of men's sins.'

AND IF A MAN'S HAIR BE FALLEN OFF HIS HEAD. R. Hiya cited here the verse: "Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly as light excelleth darkness" (Eccl. II, 13). [47b] 'Where', he said, 'is the great wisdom in this remark of king Solomon? Does not anyone, even one who has no wisdom himself, know that wisdom is superior to folly as light to darkness, and why, therefore, does Solomon say, "Then I saw"? The truth, however, is that what is meant is that there is an excellence or profit to wisdom from folly itself, for if there were no folly, wisdom and its words would not be recognized. We have learnt that it is incumbent on a man when he learns wisdom to learn a little folly also, since there is a certain benefit to wisdom from it as there is to light from darkness. We have also learnt that this applies to the supernal Wisdom, for R. Simeon said to R. Abba: The supernal Wisdom does not illumine or become illumined save on account of the folly that arises from another place, and but for this it would have no superiority or excellence, and the profit of wisdom would not be discernible. So on earth, if there were no folly there would be no wisdom. Therefore did Rab Hamnuna the Elder, when he instructed the Companions in the secrets of wisdom, also give them a discourse full of folly, that wisdom might benefit therefrom. Therefore it is written: "More precious than wisdom and than honour is a little folly" (Eccl. X, 1).' R. Jose said: 'This means that a little folly reveals and displays the honour of wisdom and the glory of heaven more than anything else. So the benefit of light is only felt from its contrast with darkness, and similarly white is only known and valued from its contrast with black.' R. Isaac said: 'It is the same with sweet and bitter: a man does not know what sweet is until he tastes bitter. [48a]

'We have learnt: Man in the Scripture has four names -- adam, geber, enosh, ish -- and the highest of them is adam.' Said R. Judah: 'But is it not written, "When a man (adam) shall bring from you an offering" (Lev. I. 2), and who is it that requires to bring an offering? Is it not a sinner ?' R. Isaac replied: 'The offering is the mainstay of the world. of upper and lower beings, the solace of the Almighty, and who is fitting to offer it? Surely this man who is called Adam.' Said R. Judah: 'If so, what of the verse, "When a man (adam) has on the skin of his flesh ... and it become in the skin of his flesh the plague of leprosy"?' He replied: 'This one God desires to heal more than all others, and therefore it is written concerning him, "he shall be brought unto the priest"; it is the duty of anyone who sees him to bring him to the priest, in order that the holy image may not remain thus.' Said R. Judah: 'But it is written, "Now Moses the man (ish)"; why is he not called "adam"?' He replied: 'Because he was the "servant of the king", and therefore he is called ish in relation to the supernal Adam. But,' he said, 'why then is it written, "The Lord is a man (ish) of war"?' He replied: 'The secret of the Lord is to them that fear him.' Said R. Judah: 'I too am one of them, yet I have not been privileged to hear this.' Said the other: 'Go to R. Abba, for I learnt it from him only on condition that I should not tell.' So he went to R. Abba, and found him discoursing and saying: 'When is there said to be completeness above? When the Holy One, blessed be He, sits on his throne. For so it is written: "And upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man (adam) upon it above" (Ezek. I, 26); the term "adam" indicates wholeness and completeness.' Said R. Judah: 'God be blessed that I have found you discoursing thus. Tell me: is it not written, "The Lord is a man (ish) of war"?' Said R. Abba: 'Your question is a good one, and the answer is this. At the Red Sea there was not yet full consummation, and therefore God was called ish; but in the vision of Ezekiel there was full consummation, and therefore God was called adam.' ' "The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver" (Ps. CXIX, 72),' exclaimed R. Judah. 'But', he continued, 'it is also written, "0 Lord, thou preservest man (adam) and beast" (Ps. XXXVI, 7). Should not the term ish be used here ?' He said: 'This is analogous to the expression: "From the cedar which is in Lebanon to the hyssop that springeth out of the wall" (I Kings V, 13); it is the way of the Scripture in such cases to mention the two extremes.' 'But,' he went on, 'is it not written: "And there was no man (adam) to till the ground" (Gen. II, 5)?' He answered: 'Everything in the world was only made for the sake of man, and all things were kept back until he that was called Adam should appear, since his form was after the divine prototype, and when he was created all was complete.'

R. Jose said: 'The Hayoth which Ezekiel saw all had the form of man.' 'But', said R. Judah, 'it is written: "And the face of an eagle ... and the face of a lion", etc.?' [48b] He replied: 'All had the face of man, but in this face itself was seen the resemblance of an eagle, etc.'

R. Isaac said: 'Observe, that whoever is under the control of "adam" is called "ish", because the complete form of Adam was only reached from another previous form. For it has been taught in the profound mysteries of the Book of Concealed Wisdom that when man was created in the holy supernal form there came down with him two spirits from two sides, one from the right and one from the left, which between them formed the complete man. The one from the right was called the holy neshamah, as it says: "And he breathed in his nostrils the neshamah of life" (Gen. II, 7), while the other was called "living soul" (nefesh hayah). When man sinned there were formed from this spirit of the left creatures whose body was not complete, and these are called "the plagues of the sons of men", and they hear certain things on high which they communicate to those below. Now it has been taught: From the Lamp of Darkness [4] issued three hundred and twenty-five sparks traced out and linked together from the side of Geburah, and when these entered the Body it was called Ish.' Said R. Judah: 'Why so?' R. Isaac could not answer. So they went and asked R. Simeon, who replied: 'Because the lower judgements are attached to the hair of this one, [5] he is called "Stern Judgement", but when the hair is removed he becomes mitigated and the lower judgements are not held in readiness. Therefore he is called clean, as having emerged from the side of uncleanness, and here too it is written: "And if the hair of ish be fallen off his head, he is bald, he is clean." Similarly among men, if one is from the side of judgement and is liable to punishment, he is not purified until his hair is removed. So the Levites who came from this side were not purified until their hair was removed; and they required the Priests who came from the side of Lovingkindness to assist them, just as above when that Ish desires to be more exhilarated [49a] the supernal Lovingkindness is displayed in him, and he becomes mitigated, and this Ish becomes merged in Adam.

'AND IF HIS HAIR BE FALLEN OFF FROM THE FRONT PART OF HIS HEAD. This front part is what is called "the face of wrath", and all [angels] who depend from that "face" are bold, stern and cruel. But when the "hair" is removed from the side of that "face", all these are removed and rendered powerless. For, as we have learnt, all those who depend from the "hair of the head" are superior to the others and not bold-faced like them. Hence the faces of the latter are red like fire from the flashing of the Lamp of Darkness.' Rabbi Isaac said: 'This plague is called "reddish-white" (Lev. XIII, 42); it is still a plague if the white is visible and the red has not disappeared. When, however, the whole has become white, mercy is present and judgement departs.'

Rabbi Abba said: 'Sometimes the Female is sullied by the sins of men and sometimes the Male, and the priest knew from which side the punishment came, and he also knew the sacrifices which ought to be brought, as it is written: "The sacrifices of Elohim (i.e. sacrifices to avert punishment) are a contrite spirit" (Ps. LI, 18).' [49b] R. Jose quoted the verse: "O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come" (Ps. LXV, 2). 'This means, at the time when the body is in pain from sickness and blows, and therefore it says "all flesh" and not "all spirit". Similarly it is written: "If there be a plague of leprosy in a man, he shall be brought unto the priest", the "priest" referring to the Holy One, blessed be He, since on Him depends all purification and holiness.' R. Isaac said: 'We have learnt as follows. "Plague" means stern judgement impending over the world. "Leprosy" means the shutting out from the world of the supernal light and goodness. "When it shall be in a man": this is he that is called "man". "He shall be brought unto the priest": this is the earthly priest, who is qualified to open what has been shut up and to kindle the lights, that blessings may through him be spread above and below, and the plague be removed and the light of mercy rest upon all.'

R. Abba said: 'I am struck by the way in which men neglect the honour of their Master. It is written concerning Israel: "I have separated you from the peoples to be mine" (Lev. XX, 26), and again, "Ye shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I the Lord am holy" (Ibid. 7). If they depart from God, where is their holiness, seeing that their thoughts are turned from Him? And Scripture cries to them saying: "Be not as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding" (Ps. XXXII, 9). In what are human beings distinguished from the horse and the mule? By sanctification and self-perfection. Hence the marital intercourse of human beings should be at fixed times, that they may concentrate their thoughts on cleaving to the Holy One, blessed be He. As has been pointed out, at midnight God enters the Garden of Eden to have communion with the righteous, and the Community of Israel praises the Holy One, blessed be He, and that is a propitious time to cleave to Him. But as for the Companions who study the Torah, the time of their intercourse is at the time of another intercourse, from Sabbath to Sabbath, [6] for that is the time when all above and below are blessed. But if men abandon Him and act like beasts, where are those holy souls which they derive from above? King Solomon also cries aloud: "Also without knowledge the soul is not good" (Prov. XIX, 2), for they draw upon themselves a soul that is not good from the "other side". He who is inflamed with the evil inclination and turns not his thoughts to God draws upon himself a soul which is not good. Therefore evil diseases light upon men and their appearance testifies that God has rejected them and will not heed them until they [50a] amend their ways. Similarly it is written: "When ye be come into the land of Canaan ... and I put a plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession", etc. (Lev. XIV, 34). God loved Israel and brought them into the Holy Land to place His divine presence among them and to make His abode with them, so that Israel should be holy above all other peoples. Now, when the women brought articles for the Tabernacle they used to specify what part each was for: "this is for the holy place, this for the curtain", and so forth, and each thing went to its place in holiness. Similarly, whenever anyone makes a thing for idolatrous worship, or the "other side", as soon as he mentions its name in connection with that thing, an unclean spirit rests upon it. Now the Canaanites were idolaters, and whenever they erected a building they used to utter certain idolatrous formulae, and a spirit of uncleanness rested on the building. But when the Israelites entered the land, God desired to purify them and sanctify the land and prepare a place for His divine presence, and so through that plague of leprosy they used to pull down buildings which had been erected in uncleanness. Now if they had done so merely that they might find hidden treasures, they would have replaced the stones afterwards; but the text says, "and they shall take out the stones ... and he shall take other mortar", in order that the unclean spirit may pass away and the holiness return and the Shekinah abide in Israel. Therefore, when a man begins to set up a building he should declare that he is building for the service of God. Then the support of heaven is with him, and God assigns holiness to him and bids peace be with him. Otherwise he invites into his house the "other side"-all the more so if his inclination is to the "other side", for then, indeed, an unclean spirit will rest on the house, and that man will not leave this world until he has been punished in that house, and whoever dwells in it may come to hurt. If it is asked, How is one to know such a house? it is one in which the man who built it has come to harm, he or his family, whether through sickness or loss of money, he and two others after him. Better a man should fly to the mountains or live in a mud hut than dwell there. Therefore God had pity on Israel, who knew nothing of all those houses. He said: "You do not know, but I know them, and I will indicate them with the plague. There is a plague in the house; here is a greater plague which will drive it out." Hence "he shall break down the house, the stones thereof and the timber thereof". We may ask, since the uncleanness has gone, why should he break down the house? The reason is that as long as the house stands [50b] it belongs to the "other side", and it may return. If that is the case in the Holy Land, how much more so in other lands!' Said R. Eleazar: 'Especially since that evil spirit calls his companions there, and even a hawk's talons could not scratch out the uncleanness from there. Therefore the Scripture says, "Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness". '

R. Jose was once going into a house, and as he was crossing the threshold he heard a voice say: 'All now gather, here is one of our adversaries. Let us do him some hurt before he goes out again.' Another voice said: 'We cannot do him anything unless he takes up his abode here.' R. Jose drew back in great fear, saying: 'Assuredly, he who transgresses the words of the Companions endangers his life.' Said R. Hiya to him: 'But idolaters and other people live in such houses and come to no hurt ?' He replied: 'They come from the same side as those spirits, but he that fears sin can be hurt by them. And even those others if they live there long will not come out in peace.' Said R. Hiya: 'But is it not written, "Their houses are safe from fear" (Job XXI, 9)?' He replied: 'It may be that they have taken them over from others, and that they were built originally in righteousness.'

THEN HE THAT OWNETH THE HOUSE SHALL COME AND TELL THE PRIEST, THERE SEEMETH TO ME TO BE AS IT WERE A PLAGUE IN THE HOUSE. The meaning of this verse is as follows. When this plague (of leprosy) enters, another (of uncleanness) is revealed, and they attack one another. Hence it says, "there seemeth" (lit. is seen) to me. Then the one that was concealed becomes visible and the one that was visible becomes hidden, and then reappears in the form of the leprosy, and this is what the owner "tells" the priest, who takes the hint. Then the priest comes, and the stones and wood are removed, and then the rest are blessed. Therefore it says, "Thou shalt build goodly houses and dwell therein" (Deut. VIII, 12); these are good, but the others were not good. 'But', said R. Judah, 'if that is so, what are we to make of the verse, "Houses full of all good things which thou filledst not" (Deut. VI, 11)? How could they be full of good if an unclean spirit rested on them?' R. Eleazar replied: 'It means, with money, with silver, with gold, and so forth: just as it is said elsewhere, "for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours", although all the houses of Egypt were full of magic and idolatry.' R. Simeon said: 'All this was indeed for the purpose of sanctifying the land and removing from it the unclean spirit, and when the house was destroyed he used to find in it money for building another, [7] and so they were not distressed by the loss of the house, and besides, they dwelt there thenceforth in holiness.'

AND WHEN A MAN OR A WOMAN HATH IN THE SKIN OF THEIR FLESH BRIGHT SPOTS. R. Jose said: 'The "bright spot" is surrounded with many regulations as complicated as the wickerwork of a basket, all depending on the shade of colour.' R. Isaac said: 'Some authorities have formulated three hundred rules regarding the bright spot, and I learnt them all from my father. One black hair renders unclean, being like one witness; two render clean, being like two witnesses.' R. Hizkiah was once studying with R. Simeon. He said: 'It is written, "a reddish-white plague". This is a plague, because the white does not retain its purity.' R. Simeon said: 'Happy are Israel in that God desired to purify them, so that they should not come up for sentence before Him. For like always goes to like, red to red and white to white; right to right and left to left. Of Esau it is written, "and he came forth ruddy", and therefore his own kind rests upon him. [51a] It is true, David is also called "ruddy" (I Sam. XVI, 12), but whereas Esau's redness came from the "dross of gold", David's came from the brightness of gold. Observe that if there is first redness and then it turns whitish, this is a sign of the commencement of purifying. If white appears first, and then it reddens, this is a sign that uncleanness is commencing. The priest knew all these colours, and if the colour of cleanness appeared, he used to shut up the man to see if another colour would appear, and if not, he would declare him clean.'

As R. Isaac and R. Judah were once walking together, the latter remarked: 'It is written: "Elisha said to Gehazi, The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave unto thee and unto thy seed for ever" (2 Kings v, 27). Now, if he sinned, why should his descendants be stricken ?' R. Isaac replied: 'Elisha saw more than most prophets. He saw that Gehazi would never have virtuous offspring, and therefore he cursed all of them. Moreover, he said to him, I served Elijah faithfully, and therefore obtained two portions, but you, villain, have compromised me by swearing falsely and being covetous. You have transgressed the whole of the Law, and therefore deserve to die in this world and the next, but because you have served me, your death shall only be in this world and not in the next.'

R. Jose asked: 'Why should there be leprosy on wool and flax?' R. Isaac replied: 'It rests on all things and has sway over all. It is written, "She seeketh wool and flax", and therefore the sway of this plague which comes from this same supernal place extends over all, over these two articles, wool and flax.'

R. Isaac was once going to his father's home when he saw a man turning aside from the road with a load on his shoulders. He said to him: 'What is that bundle you have on your shoulders ?' but the man gave him no answer. So he followed him till he saw him enter a cave. He went in after him and saw a cloud of smoke ascend from beneath the ground, while the man went into a hole and he lost sight of him. R. Isaac then left the cave in great fear. As he was sitting there, R. Judah and R. Hizkiah passed by. He went up to them and told them what had happened. Said R. Judah: 'Thank God for delivering you. That cave is where the lepers of Sarunia are, and all the inhabitants of that town are magicians and go into the desert to get black snakes ten years old or more, and through not being careful of them they become leprous, and all their magic arts are in that cave.' They then left the spot. On their way they came across a man who had with him a sick child tied to an ass. They asked him why the boy was tied. He replied: 'I live in a town of the Arameans, and my son here used to learn the Torah every day, and when he came home used to go over what he had learnt. Three years I lived in the same house and observed nothing wrong, but now one day when my son went into the house to repeat his lesson an evil spirit passed before him and distorted his eyes and his mouth and his hands, so that he is not able to speak. So I am going to the cave of the lepers of Sarunia to see if they can show me how to cure him.' R. Judah said to him: [51b] 'Do you know of any other person having come to harm in that house before?' He replied: 'I know that a long time ago a man did come to harm there, but people said that it was just an illness, while others said that it was the evil spirit of the house. Since then many people have been in the house without suffering any harm.' They said: 'This proves the truth of what the Companions said. Woe to those who disregard their words.' Said R. Judah: 'It is written, "Woe to him that buildeth his house without righteousness" (Jer. XXII, 13), because wherever there is righteousness all evil spirits fly from before it. Yet withal, whichever comes first to the place takes possession of it.' Said R. Hizkiah: 'If so, the holy Name is merely on a level with the unclean spirit?' He replied: 'Not so. If the holy spirit is there first, no evil spirits can appear there, much less approach. But if the evil spirit is there first, the holy Name does not rest upon it. Now when the plague of leprosy came, one had to purify the place and drive out the unclean spirit, and afterwards the house was taken down and built up again in holiness with the mention of the holy Name; and still other mortar had to be used and the foundation was removed two handbreadths. Nowadays, however, that the plague does not appear, there being thus no one able to drive out the evil spirit, what is the remedy ? The best thing is to remove from the house, but if this cannot be done, it should be rebuilt with fresh wood and stones, and a little away from the previous spot, with the mention of the holy Name.' R. Isaac said to him: 'Why should one take all this trouble in these days, since it is written: "That which is crooked cannot be made straight" (Eccl. I, 15)? Since the destruction of the Temple there is no remedy; hence a man should be very careful.'

They said: 'Let us go along with this man and see.' Said R. Isaac: 'We may not. If we were going to a great and God-fearing man, like Naaman to Elisha, we could accompany him. But as he is going to such abandoned and godless people we must not.' 'But', said R. Judah, 'we have learnt that for healing sickness anything may be used save the wood of an Asherah?' [8] He replied: 'This too is idolatry.' So they went on their way. The man then entered the cave with his son, and left him there while he went out to tether his ass. Meanwhile a cloud of smoke came out and struck the boy on the head and killed him. When the father went in, he found him dead, so he took him and his ass, and on the next day came up with R. Isaac and R. Judah and R. Hizkiah. With many tears he related to them what had happened. Said R. Isaac: 'Did I not tell you many times that it was forbidden to enter there ? Blessed are the righteous who walk in the way of truth in this world and in the next.' R. Eleazar said: 'In all his actions a man should have in mind the holy Name and declare that all is for the service of God, so that the "other side" should not rest on him, for this is ever lying in wait for man. Therefore it was that the warp and the woof used to become unclean [52a] and the "other side" rested on them.'

R. Eleazar was once going to see his father-in-law, accompanied by R. Abba. He said: 'Let us discourse on the Torah as we go.' R. Eleazar then took as his text the verse: "Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister" (Gen. XII, 13). 'This', he said, 'is very strange. Can we believe that a God-fearing man like Abram should speak thus to his wife in order that he might be well treated? The truth is, however, that Abram relied on the merit of his wife, and not on his own merit, to procure for him the money of the heathen, for a man obtains money through the merit of his wife, as it is written: "House and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord" (Prov. XIX, 14). Further, he saw an angel going before her, who said to him: "Fear not, Abram, God sent me to procure for her the money of the heathen and to protect her from all harm". Hence Abram did not fear for his wife but for himself, since he saw the angel with her but not with himself. Therefore he said to her: "Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister, that he (the angel) may do good to me in this world, and that my soul may live in the next world for thy sake, if thou departest not from the right way, for otherwise death awaits me in this world."'

R. Abba discoursed on the verse: "As in the day of thy coming forth from the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvellous things" (Mic. VII, 15). He said: 'God will one day bring deliverance to his sons as in the days when He sent to deliver Israel and inflicted plagues on Egypt for their sake. What is the difference between this deliverance and that of Egypt? The deliverance in Egypt was from one king and one country: here it will be from all the kings of the earth. Then God will be glorified in all the world, and all shall know His dominion, as it is written: "The Lord shall be king over the whole earth" (Zech. XIV, 9). And they shall bring Israel as an offering to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, "And they shall bring all your brethren", etc. (Isa. LXVI, 20). Then the patriarchs shall rejoice to see the deliverance of their sons, and so it is written: "As in the days of thy going forth from Egypt I shall show him wonders."

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Notes:

1. According to the Zohar, the seed itself contains both a male and a female element. v. Zohar, Exodus, 161b.

2. Here follow in the text certain reflections on the conflict of Jacob and the angel which have appeared in substance elsewhere.

3. v. Targum Onkelos, in loco.

4. v. Zohar, Gen., 15a.

5. According to the anthropomorphic symbolism of the Sifra di-Zeniutha.

6. v. T.R Ketuboth, 62b.

7. v. Midrash Rabbah, in loco.

8. v. Deut. XVI, 21.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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