Whatever You Find that You Have the Power to Do, Do
Pinhas
134) “Whatever you find that you have the power to do, do.” How good it is for a person to exert to do his Master’s will while the candle is lit and is present over his head, since the light of the candle is a power that is over him. It is written about it, “Let the power of the Lord grow.” This is the power of the Creator that is present over the head of the righteous and all those who engage in their Master’s will, who is Divinity.
Intermediate
Bo [Come unto Pharaoh]
211) “One should always consider oneself as though the whole world depends on him,” meaning he should consider himself and the whole world as intermediate. And if he keeps one commandment, he sentences himself and the whole world to a scale of merit. And if he commits one transgression, he sentences himself and the whole world to a scale of sin.
Support from the Creator
VaYetze [Jacob Went Out]
350) King David always attached himself to the Creator. He had no concern for any other thing in the world, but to adhere to Him with his soul and will, as it is written, “My soul clings to You.” And since he always clung to the Creator, He supported him and did not leave him, as it is written, “Your right supported me.” We learn from it that when one comes to cling to the Creator, the Creator holds him and does not leave him.
The Awakening of the Upper One
Lech Lecha [Go Forth]
231) The awakening of the upper one is only through the awakening of the lower one because the awakening of the upper one depends on the craving of the lower one.
When One Comes to Purify
Lech Lecha [Go Forth]
268) It is written, “I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me.” In the beginning, “I am my beloved’s,” and afterwards, “And his desire is for me.” “I am my beloved's” is to first set up a place for him with an awakening from below, and then, “And his desire is for me.”
269) Divinity is not present with the wicked. When a person comes to purify and bring himself closer to the Creator, Divinity is over him. It is written about it, “I am my beloved's,” first, and then, “And his desire is for me,” since when one comes to purify, he is purified.
One Who Sanctifies Is Sanctified
VaYikra [The Lord Called]
423) Happy are the righteous, for they have a high share in the Creator, in the holy share, in the King’s sanctities, since they sanctify themselves in the sanctities of their Master. And anyone who sanctifies, the Creator sanctifies him, as it is written, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy.” A person who sanctifies himself from below is sanctified from above. And when one sanctifies with the sanctity of his Master, his is clothed with a holy soul, which is the inheritance of the Creator and the assembly of Israel, for the soul is an offspring of ZON. And then he inherits everything. These are the ones who are called, “children of the Creator,” as it is written, “You are the children of the Lord your God.”
Building of the Temple
Noah
323) “The house, while it was being built, was built of a perfect stone carried.” “The house, while it was being built” means it was being built by itself. But did Solomon and all the craftsmen who were there not build it?
324) Indeed, so it is, as it is written, “The lamp shall be made of one piece.” If it is one piece, which means that the craftsmen were beating the bar with a sledge-hammer, then what is, “Shall be made”? It means it was made by itself. Of course, everything at the Temple was made by itself, by token and a miracle. When the craftsmen began to work, the work taught the craftsmen who to do it, which they did not know how to do prior to beginning it.
325) What is the reason? It is because the blessing of the Creator was on them. This is why it is written, “While it was being built,” for it was built by itself, since it taught the craftsmen the learning, how to begin to do it, and the registration of that work would literally be going out of their eyes, and they would look at that registration and work until the entire house was built.
Making the Sanctuary
Pekudei [Accounts]
15) When the Creator said unto Moses, “Make the Tabernacle,” Moses was bewildered; he did not know what to do until the Creator vividly showed him, as it is written, “And see and make them after their pattern, which is being shown to you in the mountain.” “In their pattern” means that the Creator showed Moses everything in its higher, spiritual shape, and each of the spiritual shapes above was making its shape similar to the fictitious shape that was made below, on earth. This is how Moses knew.
16) “Which is being shown to you in the mountain.” The mirror that does not shine, Malchut was showing him within her all the manners and forms that are being done below.
17) It is written, “Which is being shown to you.” “You” is the mirror that does not shine, Malchut, which showed him within her all these forms. And Moses saw each of them in its corrected form, as one who sees within a crystal lamp, within a mirror that shows all the forms.
And when Moses gazed upon them, he found them perplexing, since there, in Malchut, everything stood in its spiritual form, but each form equalized its shape to the fictitious shape in this world, in the Tabernacle. It turns out that two forms were apparent: the spiritual one and the fictitious one. This is why Moses was bewildered; he did not know which of them to grasp. The Creator told him, “You with your signs, and I with Mine,” that Moses would perceive the fictitious signs in every thing and the Creator perceives the spiritual signs of every thing, and then the spiritual form is placed over the fictitious form. Then Moses was settled in all the work of the Tabernacle.
The Donkey Driver
Teruma [Donation]
536) Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Hiya were walking along the way and a donkey driver was leading the donkeys behind them. Rabbi Yosi said to Rabbi Hiya, “We should engage and exert in words of Torah because the Creator is walking ahead of us, hence it is time to make corrections for Him, so He will be with us on this way.” A donkey driver stings the donkeys with a piece of wood to make them walk faster.
537) Rabbi Hiya started and said, “It is time to do for the Lord; they have broken Your law.” Anytime when the Torah exists in the world and people engage in it, the Creator is seemingly happy with His works, there is joy in all the worlds, and heaven and earth maintain their existence. Moreover, the Creator gathers His entire household and tells them, “See the holy people that I have in the land, the Torah is crowned because of them, see My works, of whom you have said, ‘What is man, that I should remember him?’” And they, when they see their Master’s joy, they promptly start and say, “And who is as Your people, as Israel, one nation in the land.”
538) And when Israel idle away from the Torah, His might seemingly fades, as it is written, “You neglected the Rock who begot you,” and then it is written, “And all the host of heaven stand.” Hence, it is time to do for the Lord. Those righteous that remained should muster their strength and do good deeds so that the Creator will be strengthened with the righteous and with His camps and armies, since they have broken Your law and the people do not engage in it properly.
539) The donkey driver, who was leading the donkeys behind them, told them, “Please, I would like to know one question.” Rabbi Yosi replied, “Certainly, the road is set before us, ask your question.” He said, “This verse, had it said, ‘It should be done’ or ‘It was done,’ I would say so. What is ‘Time’? And also, it is written, ‘To do for the Lord.’ It should have said, ‘Before the Lord.’ What is ‘To do for the Lord’?” Rabbi Yosi said, “The road is set before us in several ways: One, that we were two and now we are three, for Divinity has been included with us. One, that I thought you were as a dry tree, while you are as fresh as an olive. And one, that you asked very well, and since you have begun to speak, do speak.”
540) He started and said, “Time to do for the Lord,” since there is a time and there is a time—a time to love and a time to hate. A time above, faith, Malchut, is called ‘Time.’ This is called ‘A time of good will,’ and it means that man must always love the Creator, as it is written, ‘And you shall love the Lord your God.’ About that, the time to love, it is a time, meaning that one must love.
541) “And there is another time, which is another god, which one must hate and not follow him with his heart. Hence, it is a time to hate. And this is why it is written, ‘Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place.’
542) “When Israel engage in Torah and in the Mitzvot [commandments] of the Torah, at that time the holy faith, Malchut, is corrected in her corrections and is fully adorned as it should be. And when Israel do not engage in Torah, at that time it is seemingly not corrected and is incomplete, and not in the light. Then it is time to do for the Lord.
543) “What is ‘To do for the Lord’? It is written, ‘That God has created to do.’ What is ‘To do’? It means that bodies of demons remained, which were not done because the day has been sanctified, and they remained to do because they are spirits without bodies. Here, too, it is time to do, the time remained without correction and without wholeness because they have broken Your law, for Israel have been idling away from words of Torah, for that time is so, either ascending or descending for Israel. If they engage in Torah, it ascends. If they idle away from the Torah, it descends.”
544) Rabbi Yosi said, “It is indeed beneath you to lead the donkeys behind us. Happy is this road, for we have been rewarded with hearing this. Happy is the generation that Rabbi Shimon is inside it, that wisdom is found even among the mountains.” Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Hiya came down from their donkeys and the three of them walked along the way.
By What One Assumes in One’s Heart
VaYera [The Lord Appeared]
153) “Her husband is known in the gates” is the Creator, who is known and attained by what each assumes in his heart, to the extent that he can attain by the spirit of the wisdom. Thus, according to that which one assumes in one’s heart, He is known in his heart. This is why it is written, “Known in the gates,” in those measures [the same word as “gates” in Hebrew] that each assumes in his heart. But it should be properly known that there is no one who can attain and know Him.
154) “Her husband is known in the gates.” What are gates? It is written, “Lift up your heads, O gates.” By these gates, which are high degrees, by them is the Creator known. Were it not for these gates, they would not be able to attain in Him.
Correction Is Only in This World
Korah
31) One should not say, “When I come into that world, I will beg for mercy of the King, and will repent before Him.” Rather, it is written about that, “There is no deed or contemplation or knowledge or wisdom” once a person departs this world. If one wishes for the Holy King to shine for him in that world and give him a share in the next world, he should engage in including his deeds in the right in this world, and that all his actions will be for the Creator.
248 Organs of the Soul
Shoftim [Judges]
8) Happy is he who grips to the tree of life, ZA, with his body and with his organs, which is a candle. Each and every branch is a candle of Mitzva, in his 248 Mitzvot, which correspond to the 248 organs, a candle of Mitzva for each organ.
9) When both of them, the tree of life and the candle of Mitzva, meaning ZA and Malchut, grip the same person, the words, “And he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed,” come true, referring to man. And SAM and the serpent and all his appointees, which are thorns, grip to the man’s body and burn, while the branches of the bush, its fruits, and the leaves do not burn. This is what the Creator showed Moses.
365 Tendons of the Soul
Pekudei [Accounts]
151) Explaining the correction of Yesod of the Malchut, which was done by the effect of ZA. There are 365 tendons under the influence of the hoses—white, black, red, included in one another, and they have become one color. These tendons are reticulated in seventeen nets, and each net is called “tendons.” They are webbed in one another and descend at the end of the abyss, the Yesod in Malchut, called “abyss.” Under these, two nets stand in a mirror of iron and two other nets in a mirror of copper.
Tendons are illumination of Hochma on the left of Bina, which extends to Malchut. They are called tendons because they are from Bina, since KHB is called Mocha, Atzamot, Gidin.
A Goat for Azazel
Emor [speak]
236) “And Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats.” This is an honor for Azazel because have you seen that a servant casts lots equally with his master? Usually, a servant receives what his master gives, but because on that day, Sam’el was ready to gossip about Israel, to prevent him from having something to say, he is given a share in it.
238) And not only that, each time the slanderer is ready and is given permission, it should be given something to deal with, and leave Israel alone.
Rebuke out of Love
Ki Tazria [When a Woman Delivers]
72) How do we know that? It is written, “Better is open rebuke than love that is hidden,” which means that open rebuke is better. And if the rebuke is out of love, it is hidden from people. Similarly, one who rebukes one’s friend with love must hide his words from people so his friend will not be shamed by them. And if his words are open before people, they are not with love.
73) So is the Creator. When He rebukes a person, He rebukes him with love in everything. First, He strikes him in his body, from within. If he repents, good. If not, He strikes him under his clothes. And these are called “Pangs of love.” If he repents, good. If not, He strikes him openly in his face, in front of everyone, so people will look at him and know that he is a sinner and is not loved by his Master.
A Year—a Cycle of Correction
Emor [Speak]
193) When this Shofar [festive horn] awakens and people repent from their iniquities, they must draw from below by the sound of a Shofar, and that sound rises up. At that time, another Shofar awakens above, meaning Bina, Rachamim [mercies] awaken, and the Din [judgment] departs...
Every Rosh Hashanah [Hebrew New Year’s Eve], the world returns to its beginning, as it was on the fourth day of creation, when Malchut was diminished. This is so because Malchut is called “a year,” and the twelve months of the year are the order of her corrections from her beginning to the end of correction. If the year is completed and its correction is not completed, she is given for us to correct on the next year, and we need to start over from initiation, as she was on the fourth day of creation. And so it is every single year until the end of correction.
A Prayer for the Poor
Yitro [Jethro]
414) “A Prayer for the poor, when he is cloaked, and pours out his complaint before the Lord.” All the prayers of Israel are prayers, and a prayer for the poor is the highest because it rises up to the King’s throne and crowns His head, and the Creator is praised indeed in that prayer. For this reason, a prayer for the poor is called “a prayer.”
415) “When he is cloaked.” This cloaking is not cloaking of clothes, since he has no clothes. Rather, it is written here “When he is cloaked,” and it is written there, “Who are cloaked in hunger.” Here, too, “When he is cloaked” is in hunger. “And pours out his complaint before the Lord” means that he will cry out before his Master. It is convenient for him before the Creator because the world exists in Him when there are no other sustainers of the world in the world. Woe unto one that that poor cries out about him to his Master, since the poor is the closest to the King, as it is written, “And it shall come to pass that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious.”
416) And as for the rest of the people in the world, at times He hears them, at times He does not hear, since the abode of the Creator is in those broken Kelim [vessels], as it is written, “And the oppressed and the low-spirited.” And it is written, “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted.” “A broken and an oppressed heart, O God, You will not despise.”
Gates of Tears
Pekudei [Accounts]
489) Above the palace door, there is another door, which the Creator dug out of Dinim [judgments] of Miftacha [key], which is “A well that the ministers have dug.” It opens three times a day, meaning that three lines illuminate in it, and it does not close, and stands open for those who repent, who have shed tears in their prayer before their Master.
And all the gates and the doors close until they enter the domain, except for these gates, which are called “gates of tears.” They are open and need no permission, since the first gate is “Sin crouches at the door,” and there the Malchut of Man’ula [lock] is present, ten thousand. In that discernment, repentance does not help, for it is the quality of judgment. However, the Creator dug a second door above it, from the Miftacha, which is Malchut that is mitigated in Bina, and there repentance helps.
490) When this prayer in tears rises through these gates, that Ofan, who is an angel from Malchut, comes. He is called Ofan, and he stands over six hundred big animals, and his name is Yerachmiel. He takes the prayer in tears, the prayer enters and is sanctified above, and the tears remain here. And they are written in a door that the Creator dug.
The prayer in tears raises MAN for correction of the key, to raise Malchut to Bina; hence, the prayer is accepted and the tears remain carved on the door, where they cause the mitigation of Malchut in Bina. Dema [tearing] comes from the word mixing, for it mixes and mingles Malchut in Bina.
Prayer of Many
VaYechi [Jacob Lived]
514) Indeed, all the prayers in the world, meaning prayers of many, are prayers. But a solitary prayer does not enter before the Holy King, unless with great force. This is so because before the prayer enters to be crowned in its place, the Creator watches it, observes it, and observes the sins and merits of that person, which He does not do with a prayer of many, where several of the prayers are not from righteous, and they all enter before the Creator and He does not notice their iniquities.
515) “He has regarded the prayer of the destitute.” He turns the prayer and examines it from all sides, and considers with which desire the prayer was made, who is the person who prayed that prayer, and what are his deeds. Hence, one should pray one’s prayer in the collective, since He does not despise their prayer, even though they are not all with intent and the will of heart, as it is written, “He has regarded the prayer of the destitute.” Thus, He only observes the prayer of an individual, but with a prayer of many, He does not despise their prayer, even though they are unworthy.
516) “He has regarded the prayer of the destitute” means that He accepts his prayer, but it is an individual who is mingled with many. Hence, his prayer is as a prayer of many. And who is an individual who is mingled with many? It is Jacob, for he contains both sides—right and left, Abraham and Isaac, and he calls out to his sons and prays his prayer for them.
And what is the prayer that is fully granted above? It is a prayer that the children of Israel will not perish in the exile. This is because every prayer in favor of Divinity is received in full. And when Israel are in exile, Divinity is with them. This is why the prayer is regarded as being in favor of Divinity and is accepted in full.
I dwell among My Own People
VaYetze [Jacob Went Out]
284) Wherever a person prays his prayer, he should incorporate himself in the public, in the manifold public, as it is written about Shunammite when Elisha told her, “Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?” “Would you be spoken for to the king,” since that day was the festival of the first day of the year, and the day when Malchut of the firmament rules and sentences the world. At that time, the Creator is called “The king of the sentence,” and this is why he told her, “Would you be spoken for to the king,” since he called the Creator “King.”
285) And she said, “I dwell among my own people.” In other words, she said, “I have no wish to be mentioned above, but to put my head among the masses and not leave the public.” Similarly, man should be included in the public and not stand out as unique, so the slanderers will not look at him and mention his sins.
Quantity and Quality
Teruma [Donation]
694) When the Creator comes to the house of gathering and the whole people come together, pray, thank, and praise the Creator, it is the glory of the King, for the Creator is established with beauty and correction to rise up to Aba and Ima.
695) When the Creator comes to the house of gathering early and the people did not come to pray and to praise the Creator, the whole of the governance above and all those upper appointees and camps break from that elevation of theirs, which they correct in the corrections of the King, the Creator.
696) The reason why they break from their elevation is that when Israel below establish their prayers and litanies, and praise the high King, all those upper camps praise and become corrected in the sacred correction, since all the upper camps are friends with Israel below, to praise the Creator together so that the rising of the Creator will be above and below at the same time.
697) And when the angels come to be friends with Israel, to praise the Creator together, and Israel below do not come to establish their prayers and litanies, and to praise their Master, all the holy camps in the upper government break from their corrections. It is so because they do not rise in an ascension, since they cannot praise their Master because the praises of the Creator must be above and below together, upper and lower at the same time. This is why it was said, “Deficiency of thinness,” and not “Deficient of a king,” as it concerns only the camps of angels, not the King Himself.
698) And even though not many came to the house of gathering, but only ten, the upper camps come into these ten, to be friends with them and to praise the Creator, since all the King’s corrections are in ten. Hence, ten are enough, if they are not more.