To my friend,
I long to hear from you and from your family, in general and in particular.
“If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to do them.” The holy Zohar asks, “Since he already said, ‘walk’ and ‘keep,’ why also ‘do’?” It replies, “One who does the Mitzvot [commandments] of the Torah and walks in His ways, it is as though he has made Him above. The Creator said, ‘as though he had made Me.’ This is the meaning of ‘to do them,’ as though you have made Me” (Behukotai, item 18).
We should understand what it means that one who walks in the way of the Creator makes the Creator. How can one think such a thing?
It is known that “The whole earth is full of His glory.” This is what every person should believe, as it is written, “I fill the heaven and the earth.” However, the Creator has made a concealment so that we cannot see Him so as to have room for choice, and then there is room for faith—to believe that the Creator “fills all the worlds and encompasses all the worlds.” And after a person engages in Torah and Mitzvot and keeps the commandment of choice, the Creator reveals Himself to him, and then he sees that the Creator is the ruler of the world.
Thus, at that time a person makes the king who will rule over him. That is, a person feels that the Creator is the ruler of the world, and this is regarded as a person making the Creator king over him. As long as one has not come to such a feeling, the Creator’s kingship is concealed. This is why we say, “On that day, the Lord will be one and His name, ‘One.’” That is, the glory of His kingship will appear over us.
This is the whole correction we must do in this world, and by that we extend abundance in the world, for all the bestowals from above are drawn by engaging in Torah and Mitzvot with the aim to extend His kingship on us.
This is the meaning of Moses sentencing the people, as it is written in the portion, Yitro [Jethro]: “And the people stood about Moses from the morning until the evening. …and I judge between a man and his neighbor.” In ethics, “between a man and his neighbor” means between the good inclination and the evil inclination, to show them the statutes of the Creator, so they will know the thoughts and desires of the good inclination and the thoughts and desires of the evil inclination, and will know what to sort, as it is difficult for one to scrutinize alone if the good inclination is speaking to him or that they are the words of the evil inclination.
By this we will understand what our sages said about the verse, “‘Who is the wise man that may understand this? …Why is the land ruined?’ Rav Yehuda said, ‘Rav said that they did not bless in the Torah first.’ The RAN introduces there in the name of our rav Jonah, and these are his words: ‘This verse is accurate—the land was lost because they did not bless in the Torah first. If it says, ‘because they left My law,’ literally, that they had left the Torah and did not engage in it, when we ask the sages and the prophets why they did not interpret it, for it is revealed and easy to interpret, they certainly always engaged in Torah. This is why the sages and the prophets were perplexed by why was the land ruined?
Finally, the Creator Himself explained it. He knows the depths of the heart—that they did not bless in the Torah first. That is, the Torah was not important enough to them that it would be worth blessing, meaning they did not engage in it Lishma [for Her sake], and therefore slighted its blessing.” Thus far his words.
This means that the study of Torah and observing the Mitzvot is primarily in order to draw the disclosure of the light of His face downward. This is regarded as “the light in it reforms him,” which appears through the choice, and when engaging Lishma. At that time what Rabbi Meir said comes true—“The secrets of Torah are revealed to he who learns Torah Lishma.” This is regarded as His kingship appearing below, and this the meaning of “do them,” as though you are making Me.
May the Creator help us merit drawing, and may the glory of the Creator appear over all the earth soon in our days, Amen.
From your friend who wishes you and your family all the best,
Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag
Son of Baal HaSulam