Article No. 24, Tav-Shin-Mem-Zayin, 1986-87
Our sages said (Yoma 9b), “The Second Temple, when they engaged in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] and charity, why was it ruined? Because there was unfounded hatred in it.” We should understand what is the gravity of unfounded hatred, to the point that our sages said that even though there were Torah and Mitzvot there, and charity there, since there was unfounded hatred, it is powerless to protect from the ruin of the Temple. We should also understand why there was a need to destroy the Temple if there were all three things there. That is, if there is unfounded hatred there, is there no more room to keep the Temple standing and it must be ruined?
Therefore, we must understand the connection between unfounded hatred and the Temple. Also, we must understand what it means that it is for unfounded hatred, whereas if there were hatred there that was not unfounded, the prohibition would not have been so grave and the Temple could have remained.
It is written in the Torah (Leviticus 19:17): “You shall not hate your brother in your heart.” There it means as RASHBAM interprets “If he does you harm.” If he does you harm, it is still forbidden to hate him, much less for nothing. But this is only one manner of prohibition. If that prohibition were over nothing, the Temple would not have the right to exist and it would have to be ruined. That is, had there been hatred there, but the hatred was not unfounded, the Temple would not have been ruined. The whole reason for the ruin of the Temple was only because the hatred was for nothing. Therefore, we should understand the connection between unfounded hatred and the Temple.
In the prayer “May It Please,” which we say before saying Psalms, it is written, “The merit of King David will protect, so You will be patient until we return unto You with complete repentance before You, and grant me the treasure of a free gift.”
We should understand the connection between asking for complete repentance, meaning that we lack nothing and we ask for nothing at all, and immediately after, we ask, “Grant me the treasure of a free gift,” implying we want something more besides complete repentance. This also implies that we actually do want a reward for our work, but because we are full of iniquities and crimes, we ask that You will atone for our sins and we want to repent. This is why we do not deserve a reward. This is why we are not asking for reward, and why we are asking You, “Grant me the treasure of a free gift.”
We should understand this. After all, we should work for the sake of the Creator and not to receive reward, yet we ask Him to grant us. We cannot say, “Reward us,” since we do not deserve it because we are sinners. Therefore, we want a free gift. Accordingly, how is it permitted to ask that He will give us for free? After all, we need nothing for ourselves, but only for the sake of the Creator. Thus, why are we asking Him to give us “the treasure of a free gift”? Is receiving for ourselves from there permitted?
However, we learned that the essence of our work is that since the Creator created a Kli [vessel] to receive the delight and pleasure called “will to receive for oneself,” meaning that without yearning, we cannot enjoy anything because this is our nature, for this reason, the original Kli that can enjoy is called “desire to receive pleasure.”
However, afterwards there was a correction called “equivalence of form,” which is not to use the will to receive for oneself but to the extent that one can aim to bestow. In other words, the Creator created the world called “desire to receive pleasure,” and that desire is regarded as having been created “existence from absence,” since the desire to bestow that exists in Him created a new thing.
In order not to have shame, we need to invent for ourselves the desire to bestow that He has had before He created us with the will to receive. But since the desire to bestow is against our nature, we ask Him that as He has given us the will to receive, now He will give the desire to bestow that He has, and for which He has created in us the will to receive, for we haven’t the power to go against nature, but the Creator, who has given us this nature, can give a second nature. That is, only He can make us use the vessels of bestowal.
By this we should interpret that when we are asking the Creator, “Grant me the treasure of a free gift,” it means that the will of the Creator, who has created the world, was a free gift, since to whom was He indebted? Also, we ask Him to grant us of this treasure called a “free gift,” meaning that we, too, will have this power to do the holy work for free, called “not in order to receive reward.”
By this we will understand what we asked about the connection between asking and saying, “Be patient with us until we return to You with complete repentance before You,” and then we ask Him to give us the treasure of a free gift. He begins with repentance, which is all that we lack, and we promptly say, “Grant us.” Repentance means that we want to return to the root, as it is written about it, “Repentance means, ‘The Hey returns to the Vav.’” This means that the Hey, called Malchut, which is reception, will return to the Vav, called the “bestower.”
This means that by wanting to do everything in order to bestow, we cause the root of the soul of each and every one, which is Malchut, to be completely in order to bestow. It therefore follows that the repentance we ask is that we want to work only in order to bestow, and we immediately say, “Give!” meaning that we are asking, “Grant me the treasure of a free gift.”
According to what we explained above, the meaning of a “treasure of a free gift” is an explanation about repentance, meaning which repentance we are seeking. This is what we promptly explain. That is, we want You to give us the desire to bestow, called “the treasure of a free gift.” That is, that desire, with which You have created the world, called “His desire to do good to His creations,” with nothing in return, but only for free, as it is known that the creation of the world was “by donation.” Give us this desire.
It follows that asking to be given “the treasure of a free gift” explains which repentance we want, as it is written in The Zohar, “repentance means that the Hey returns to the Vav.” Now we can understand what we asked about what our sages said, that the Second Temple was ruined although there were Torah and Mitzvot and charity there. Still, since there was unfounded hatred there, it could not exist, and Torah and Mitzvot and charity did not have the power to save the Temple from ruin.
We explained that a “free gift” means that we need Kelim in which the Kedusha [holiness/sanctity] can be. Otherwise, the Kedusha must depart because there is no equivalence of form between the light and the Kli. Kedusha means to bestow. If the Kli works in order to receive, the light must depart. For this reason, we ask, “Grant me the treasure of a free gift.”
Since there was unfounded hatred in the Second Temple, meaning that they hated the “free,” meaning to work for free, without any reward, but rather not in order to receive reward, hence, even though they engaged in Torah and Mitzvot and in charity, because they did not have the aim to bestow, there was no room for the Kedusha to settle there due to the oppositeness of form between them. This is why the Temple had to be ruined.
The order of the work is that we need Torah and Mitzvot and charity so they will bring us to work for free. That is, they are only means to achieve the goal, which is to achieve Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator, which is equivalence of form, as it is written, “And to cleave unto Him,” and our sages said, “As He is merciful, so you are merciful.”
The 613 Mitzvot in that state are the means by which to achieve Dvekut, and The Zohar calls them “613 counsels.” This is as it is written (“Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” “Mirrors of the Sulam,” Item 1), “The Zohar calls the Mitzvot in the Torah by the name Pekudin [deposits]. However, they are also called ‘613 Eitin [counsels].’ The difference between them is that in everything there is Panim [anterior] and Achor [posterior]. The preparation for something is called Achor, and its attainment is called Panim. When observing Torah and Mitzvot as “doers of His word,” before we are rewarded with hearing, the Mitzvot are called ‘613 counsels’ and they are regarded as Achor. When rewarded with hearing the voice of His word, the 613 Mitzvot become Pekudin, from the word ‘deposit,’ since there are 613 Mitzvot and in each Mitzva, the light of a special degree is deposited.”
In the above-said, it is explained to us that the order of the work during the preparation is that we should observe Torah and Mitzvot. This is an advice by which we can achieve Dvekut, called “equivalence of form.” Only afterward, when they have Kelim that can receive the upper light, the 613 Mitzvot become deposits and they are rewarded with all the lights intended for each and every Mitzva, according to its essence.
Since there was unfounded hatred there, when they hated the work for free, without reward, meaning that they had no need to work not in order to receive reward, but rather the Torah and Mitzvot and charity were all in order to receive reward, hence this work is called “If he is not rewarded, it turns for him into the potion of death.” For this reason, the observing of Torah and Mitzvot and charity during the Second Temple could not prevent the ruin of the Temple, for in order to maintain the Kedusha there is a need for vessels of bestowal. Since they did not have them, the Temple was ruined.
It therefore follows that man is born out of the Kli that the Creator has given him, called “will to receive for himself,” and all his work and profits belong to the receiver, and no one has a claim over what man has acquired. In other words, both the man and the possessions belong to the receiver for himself.
It is as he says (“Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 11), “For the body, which is the will to receive for himself, extends from its root in the thought of creation, passes through the system of the worlds of Tuma’a, and remains enslaved to that system for the first thirteen years.”
It therefore follows that indeed, everything belongs to the receiver. Thus, how is he told after thirteen years, “Know that although until now everything belonged to you, but henceforth, you and all the property you see should be handed over to the authority of the Creator, and there is nothing for you. In other words, until now you were a gentile, and now everything that the gentiles have is taken away and transferred to the authority of Israel.”
But what is “the authority of Israel”? It is the authority of the Creator, called Yashar-El [straight to the Creator]. This means that everything that Israel has enters the singular authority. It follows that everything that was in the authority of the receiver, each and every detail, which together are called the “nations of the world,” is now required, since everything that belonged to them, now they are told that the receiver for himself must relinquish everything he has and transfer it to the authority of Israel.
And what is “the authority of Israel”? As said above, the Creator is the authority of Israel, for they have no authority of their own, but rather they all want to annul before the Creator.
Now we can interpret the words of RASHI in his interpretation on the word Beresheet [in the beginning]: “Rabbi Isaac said, ‘The Torah should have begun with, ‘This month is to you…’ which is the first Mitzva that Israel were commanded. What is the reason that he began with Beresheet? It is because ‘He has made known to His people the power of His works, to give them the inheritance of the nations.’ Thus, if the idolaters should tell them, ‘You are robbers, for you have conquered seven nations,’ they would reply, ‘The whole of the Earth belongs to the Creator. He has created it and He has given it that whom He saw fit. Upon His will, He gave it to them, and upon His will, He has taken it from them and has given it to us.’’”
We should understand what this teaches us in the work. As we explained, we can understand this simply. The Creator created the world with the aim to do good to His creations, which is that the receiver for himself will enjoy. In order to have Dvekut with the Creator, called “equivalence of form,” a correction was made not to work for the receiver for himself but for the sake of the Creator, which is called “in order to bestow.”
It is known that in order to bestow is called “Israel,” and in order to receive is called the “nations of the world.” Since there are seven qualities of Kedusha, which are HGT NHYM, there are also seven bad qualities in the Klipot, which are called “seven nations.” Everything must be taken away from their authority and transferred to Israel, meaning that the owners of the seven qualities will be Israel and not the nations of the world, which are the seven nations corresponding to seven Klipot.
As he says (there in the introduction), “Until the age of thirteen, man is in the authority of the Klipot. Afterward, he must come out of the Klipot, and this is the time called ‘idol-worshipping,’ and enter the Kedusha, called ‘Israel.’” At that time, the Klipot come with the argument, “But the Creator has created us, meaning the will to receive for ourselves, and has placed you under our control, so why after thirteen years you want to exit our control? Moreover, you want to govern us!” This is the grievance of the body against a person when he wants to exit being an idolater, called “self-reception,” and become Israel, which is to do everything in order to bestow upon the Creator.
It is written, “You are robbers, for you have conquered seven nations.” They reply, “The whole of the Earth belongs to the Creator,” meaning that He is the owner of the world. That is, the Creator, who has created the world in order to do good to His creations, first created the receiver for himself to receive from Him the delight and pleasure. Later, in order for the creatures not to feel any flaw in receiving the delight and pleasure, a judgment was passed and the light departed from the receiver for himself. Instead, the light was given to the receiver in order to bestow, and the receiver for himself remained in the dark, without light.
Later, upon the creation of the souls and in the world of Tikkun [correction], two systems extended from this: ABYA of Kedusha [sanctity/holiness] and ABYA of Tuma’a [impurity], and man comes out and is born. For thirteen years, he is under the authority of ABYA of Tuma’a. Afterward, through the power of Torah and Mitzvot, he exits their control and takes everything along with him to the side of Kedusha.
This is the meaning of the nations’ complaint, “You are robbers, for you have conquered seven nations.” It means that the nations of the world in a person complain to him: “Why are you making a fuss? You can see that the Creator has created the will to receive for itself, and He must want the will to receive to enjoy the world. Why do you want to do the opposite? meaning take all the pleasure from self-reception and give it all to ‘Israel,’ called ‘in order to bestow’? In other words, you want to be a thief, and you are saying that the Creator agrees to this. Is this possible?”
To this comes the answer that it is as it is written, “Stolen water is sweet” (Proverbs 9). Through the stealing, they will be mitigated [sweetened], when everything is taken away from the receiver for himself, called “idol-worshipper,” which are the seven nations. “Sweet” means that specifically through Israel, who take parts from the Klipot and raise them to Kedusha, this will be their correction. Only by stealing, when they think that what they have is taken away from them—they will receive correction.
This is so because in their Kelim, meaning in idol-worshipping, which are the seven nations, they want to receive. And they do receive, but it is only a tiny light compared to what the Creator wants to give. It is written about it, “To do good to His creations, is generously, not with a very thin light.” This was given to them only so they would persist until they truly receive all the light that was intended in the thought of creation. At the end of all the corrections, says The Zohar, “The angel of death will become a holy angel.” It also says, “SAM is destined to become a holy angel.”
It follows that specifically by stealing, when the nations of the world say, “You are robbers,” they receive mitigation, when each time a part of them is transferred to the Kedusha. By this they receive correction. This is the meaning of the words, “Stolen water is sweet.”
What does this verse tell us in the work? We should know that to the extent that we can take possessions away from the Sitra Achra [other side] and the Klipot, which are reception, to that extent we mitigate the bad and it receives complete correction. When all the discernments that have fallen into the Klipot enter the Kedusha, then will be the end of correction and everything will be completed.