Workers of the Creator Who Make the Torah Arid
Come and see the words of the sage, Rabbi Even Ezra in his book, Yesod Mora, p 8b: “And now note and know that all the Mitzvot that are written in the Torah or the conventions that the fathers have established, although they are mostly in action or in speech, they are all in order to correct the heart, ‘for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts.’”
Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book,
Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Item 10
There is a common opinion that the prime goal of religion and the Torah is only the cleansing of actions, that all that is desired concerns observing the physical Mitzvot (commandments), without any additions or anything that should result from it. Had that been so, those who say that studying the revealed and practical actions alone is sufficient would be right.
Yet, this is not the case. Our sages have already said, “Why should the Creator mind if one slaughters at the throat or at the back of the neck? After all, the Mitzvot were only given to cleanse people.” Thus, there is a purpose beyond the observance of the actions, and the actions are merely preparations for this purpose. Hence, clearly, if the actions are not arranged for the desired goal, it is as if nothing exists. And it is also written in The Zohar: “A Mitzva (commandment) without an aim is like a body without a soul.” Hence, the aim, too, should accompany the act.
Baal HaSulam, “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence”
A person, born with the will to receive and wishing to correct it to in order to bestow, which is known to be against nature, has only one counsel: Only through the Light of the Torah can he invert into being in order to bestow... Hence, such people who engage in Torah, not necessarily to know the laws and the customs, to know how to keep the Mitzvot, but who have another great role—to study Torah in order to correct the heart, these are called, “wise at heart.” Everything is named after its action. Hence, Torah that is studied with this intention is called, “wise at heart,” and not “wise in mind,” since they need the Torah for the correction of the heart.
Rabash, The Rungs of the Ladder,
“What Is Torah and Work on the Path of the Creator”
The aridity and the darkness that have befallen us in this generation, such as we have never seen before. It is because even the worshipers of the Creator have abandoned the engagement in the secrets of the Torah.
So is the issue before us. If the worshipers of the Creator had, at least, engaged in the internality of the Torah and extended a complete Light from Ein Sof, the whole generation would have followed them. And everyone would be certain of their way, that they would not fall. But if even the servants of the Creator have distanced themselves from this wisdom, it is no wonder the whole generation is failing because of them. And because of my great sorrow I cannot elaborate on that!
Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 57
Those who engage solely in the dresses of the Torah are gravely mistaken, may God have mercy on them. And when the Creator’s demand is abandoned and the majority of the multitude of the sages of the Torah do not know its purpose, and they consider the wisdom of the Torah with its purpose as mere addition of some quip to the laws—which, though truly sacred and precious—they will not illuminate our souls.
The Rav Raiah Kook, Igrot (Letters), Vol. 2, 153
This is the matter concerning the declining merit of the generations until they reached the final restriction in our generation, when the wisdom of writers is led astray and those who fear sin are despised. In that state, the masses are indifferent and working the Creator poses no obligation for them. Likewise, they feel no lack in its absence.
Even those engaging in the work, it is by rote. They are not thirsty, thriving to find some freshness of thought in their work. Were a sage to tell them, “Come let me I teach you wisdom, to understand and to teach the words of the Creator,” one’s immediate response would be, “In my heart, I already know that I will not be as Rashbi and his friends ... if I could only keep everything in its literal form.” However, it is said about them, “The fathers ate sour grapes, and the children's teeth are blunted,” for they engage in Torah and Mitzvot prematurely, and the teeth of their sons are made completely blunt, and they are surprised, “What is this work for you?” For you, and not for Him. And you, too, blunt his teeth. This is the form of our generation, which we are discussing.
Baal HaSulam, “The Remedy of Memory”
Woe unto them that make the spirit of Messiah leave and depart from the world, and cannot return to the world. They are the ones that make the Torah dry, without any moisture of comprehension and reason. They confine themselves to the practical part of the Torah, and do not wish to try to understand the wisdom of Kabbalah, to know and to understand the secrets of the Torah and the flavor of Mitzva. Woe unto them, for with these actions they bring about the existence of poverty, ruin, and robbery, looting, killing, and destructions in the world.
Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 70
Woe unto people from the affront of the Torah. For undoubtedly, when they engage only in the literal and in its stories, it wears its widow-garments, and covered with a bag. And all the nations shall say unto Israel: “What is thy Beloved more than another beloved? Why is your law more than our law? After all, your law, too, is stories of the mundane.” There is no greater affront to the Torah than that. Hence, woe unto the people from the affront of the Torah. They do not engage in the wisdom of Kabbalah, which honors the Torah, for they prolong the exile and all the afflictions that are about to come to the world.
The Writings of Ari, The Tree of Life, Part 1,
“Introduction of Chaim Vital,” 11-12
The redemption of Israel and the rise of Israel depend on the study of The Zohar and the internality of the Torah. And vise versa, all the destruction and the decline of the Children of Israel are because they have abandoned the internality of the Torah. They have degraded its merit and made it seemingly redundant.
Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 69
The Creator gave us Torah and Mitzvot, which we were commanded to do only in order to bestow contentment upon the Creator. Had it not been for the engagement in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma (for Her Name), to bring contentment to the Creator with them, and not to benefit ourselves, there would have been no tactic in the world that could help us invert our nature.
Now you can understand the rigorousness of engaging in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma. If one’s intention in the Torah and Mitzvot is not to benefit the Creator, but oneself, not only will the nature of the will to receive in him not be inverted, but rather, the will to receive in him will be much more than what he was given by the nature of his creation.
Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar”
But if a person from Israel degrades the virtue of the internality of the Torah and its secrets, which deals with the conduct of our souls and their degrees, and the perception and the tastes of the Mitzvot with regard to the advantage of the externality of the Torah, which deals only with the practical part? Also, even if one does occasionally engage in the internality of the Torah, and dedicates a little of one’s time to it, when it is neither night nor day, as though it were redundant, by that one dishonors and degrades the internality of the world, which are the Children of Israel, and enhances the externality of the world – meaning the Nations of the World – over them. They will humiliate and disgrace the Children of Israel, and regard Israel as superfluous, as though the world has no need for them, God forbid.
Furthermore, by that, they make even the externality in the Nations of the World overpower their own internality, for the worst among the Nations of the World, the harmful and the destructors of the world, rise above their internality, which are the Righteous of the Nations of the World. And then they make all the ruin and the heinous slaughter our generation had witnessed, may God protect us from here on.
Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 69
Finally, I met with the famous ones among them, people who have already worn out their years delving in the writings of the Ari and The Zohar. They have so succeeded that they have become proficient and conversant in all the writings of the Ari.
They have a reputation as being the holiest people in the land. I asked them if they had studied with a Rav who attained the internality of the matters. They answered: “Heavens, no! There is no internality here whatsoever, but accurate texts, given to us, and nothing more than that, God forbid.”
I asked them if Rav Chaim Vital had attained the internality of the matters. They replied: “He certainly did not attain more than we do.” I then asked them about the Ari himself. They answered: “He certainly did not know the internality more than us at all, and all that he knew, he had passed on to his disciple, Rav Chaim Vital, and thus they came into our hands.”
I mocked them: “How then were the matters composed in the heart of the Ari without any understanding and knowledge?” They replied: “He received the composition of these matters from Elijah, and he knew the internality, since he is an angel.” Here my wrath poured out on them, for my patience to be with them had ended.
Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book,
From the Mouth of a Sage”
We learn from the words of the Tikkunim of The Zohar that there is an oath that the Light of Mercy and love will not awaken in the world before Israel’s deeds in Torah and Mitzvot will have the intention to not receive reward, but only to bestow contentment upon the Maker. This is the meaning of the oath, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem.”
Thus, the length of the exile and affliction that we suffer depends on us and waits for us to merit the practice of Torah and Mitzvot Lishma. And if we only attain that, this Light of love and Mercy, which has the power to extend, will immediately awaken, as it is written, “And the spirit shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding.” Then we will be granted complete redemption.
Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 36