{
"title": "Sha'arei Kedusha",
"language": "en",
"versionTitle": "merged",
"versionSource": "https://www.sefaria.org/Sha'arei_Kedusha",
"text": {
"Introduction": [
"Thus said the young Chayyim son of the honorable Rabbi Yoseph Vital ZLH\"H (may his memory be for life in the world to come).",
"I have seen those who seek to ascend, but they are few. They long to climb up, but the ladder is hidden from their view. They contemplate the books of the ancients, seeking to discover the paths of life; the way upon which to tread and the deeds that will uplift their soul to its supernal root, so that they may adhere to HaShem-יהו\"ה, who is Eternal Perfection, blessed is He; similar to the prophets who spent all their days adhering to their Maker. Through that adhesion the Holy Spirit rested upon them and showed them the path where light dwells, enlightening their eyes in the secrets of Torah, as King David, peace be upon him, said, “Unveil my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah.” The Holy Spirit guided them on a straight path to the “Inhabited City” that is prepared for those who ascend. After the prophets came the ancient Chassidim. These were hermits who sought to follow in the footsteps of the prophets and emulate them. Living in caverns and deserts, they secluded themselves from society. Some remained secluded in their homes but behaved like those in the deserts. Day and night they never ceased praising their Creator through studying His Torah and singing the Psalms of King David, peace be upon him, which gladden the heart. This they did constantly, until their mind adhered to the supernal lights with powerful and mighty yearning. This was their practice all their days, until they rose to the level of receiving the Holy Spirit, prophesying unceasingly. However, since each one acted alone and the character of one person is dissimilar to that of another, the means and methods of how these holy men served HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, were lost to us, so that we cannot emulate their ways.",
"Because of this, the hearts and knowledge of the following generations dwindled and people who attained the Holy Spirit vanished. These holy men went to their resting places, leaving us groaning from thirst and hunger. Finally, hopelessness of ever exploring this wondrous wisdom sprouted in the hearts of men. Only two or three grains may be found in a stalk of wheat; one in a city or two in a clan, who seek water, but there is none, for all vision has been sealed. This is because the methods of how to approach and come close to the inner holiness were never written in a book.",
"Later, there arose men who sought to attain spiritual levels by invoking the angels, through the power of invoking their holy names. However, they hoped for light and beheld darkness; for the angels they conjured were of a very low order, who were appointed to affect matters of this lowly world. This being so, they are composed of both good and evil and themselves perceive neither Truth nor the supernal lights. Therefore, they revealed matters that were mixed with good and evil, truth and error and vain things; matters, such as mystical cures, alchemy (the art of transforming silver into gold and copper or tin into silver), amulets, oaths and incantations. Furthermore, these people fell to imbibing wine and strong drink. If only they would have been as devoted to studying Torah and doing mitzvot! They would have learned from the example of the four great sages of Israel who entered Paradise. Not one of them left unscathed, except for the saintly Rabbi Akiva, and even in his case, the attendant angels attempted to eject him. Had not HaShem-יהו\"ה helped him, he would not have entered in peace and left in peace. If even the greatest sages of Israel were thus endangered, how much more so, we, who cannot begin to compare to them?",
"Truth be told, these holy sages aspired to attain very great levels, bordering on prophecy. Therefore, they were placed in harm’s way. However, in regard to us, would that we should merit even a tiny glimmer of the Holy spirit, such as the revelation of Eliyahu the Prophet, which many have merited to attain, as well known; or such as the revelation of the souls of the righteous Tzaddikim, as mentioned often in Sefer HaTikkunim-The book of Rectifications. Furthermore, even in our times, I have witnessed holy men who merited attaining all this. Moreover, there is such a level that a person’s own soul, because of its great refinement, is revealed to him and directs him in all matters. All these ways are within reach to those who are worthy of them, even in our times. Still and all, great discernment and much experience are necessary in order that it be established upon truth, for perhaps a different spirit visited him; one that is impure. All this will be explained in Part Three, Gate Eight.",
"Due to all the above, I feel compelled to free true seekers of their difficulties, by supporting their right hand and instructing them concerning the path they should follow. Therefore, I have decided to compose this book, small in quantity but great in quality; may it enlighten the eyes of the wise. I have called it, “Gates of Holiness.” In it, I will explain hidden matters that have never been openly taught in previous generations. I have received these teachings directly from the mouth of the holy man of God, the messenger of HaShem of Hosts – יהו\"ה צבאות, my master and teacher, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the holy Ari’zal. Being that these are concealed and hidden matters that have forever been kept secret, I will, therefore, reveal only a hands-breadth while concealing two thousand cubits. Thus, with great difficulty, I will unlock the gates of holiness and push them open just a crack, merely the width of a pin. May it be that those who are worthy, merit entering the inner sanctum. HaShem-יהו\"ה is good and will not deprive goodness from those who walk in purity.",
"I have divided the book into four parts:",
"Part One – Regarding saintly and ascetic conduct that leads to the attainment of the Holy Spirit. This part is divided into six gates. Part Two – Words of rebuke, including an explanation of reward and punishment in connection to the positive and negative commandments-mitzvot. This part is divided into eight gates. Part Three – Regarding how to attain the Holy Spirit. This part is divided into eight parts. Part Four – Regarding methods of meditative “unifications” (Yichudim) through which the Holy Spirit may be attained. I have personally tried and tested these and have found them to be effective. However, I will only enumerate their details briefly, by way of signposts that point the way.",
"",
"The First Part is divided into six gates. The first, to make known the enormity of the defect caused by human sin relative to the mitzvot. The second, how the defect is perpetuated by various middot (emotional characteristics or intelligences). The third, explanation of a righteous or beloved name. The fourth, explanation of the level of the tzaddiq (righteous person, saint) in detail. The fifth, explanation of the level of the hasid (beloved or loyal person) in detail. The sixth, a very brief explanation of the meditation of hasids, summarizing each of the gates which are in this part.",
"The Second Part..."
],
"Part 1": {
"": [
[
"Part One",
"Gate One The blemishes caused by transgressing the mitzvot of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Torah",
"Let me instill you with wisdom and enlighten you regarding the great damage that befalls a Jew who transgresses any of the 365 mitzvot that HaShem-יהו\"ה forbade us from doing or desists from fulfilling any of the 248 positive mitzvot that He commanded us to do.",
"As known, the physical body of man is not his actual identity. It is merely called human flesh, as in the verse, “You clothed me with skin and flesh and covered me with bones and veins.” Furthermore, it is written, “It may not be applied to the flesh of man etc.” From this we understand that man is the inner aspect, whereas, the body (the flesh) is similar to a garment. The intellectual soul of man, which is his true identity, is invested in the body as long as he remains in this physical world. However, upon death, he is divested of the garment of the body and instead, becomes clothed in a spiritual, rarified and pure garment. This is as scripture states, “Remove the soiled garments from upon him;” and he said to him, “Behold, I have removed your iniquity from upon you and dressed you in a pure garment.” This garment is called, “The Raiment of the Rabbis.”",
"Just as the tailor makes a garment according to the form of a person’s body, so HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, made the body, which is the garment for the soul, in the form of the image of the soul. That is, He made 248 organs plus 365 veins and arteries that connect them. The blood and life-force surge from organ to organ by means of these arteries that are similar to pipes. Once the body was formed, HaShem-יהו\"ה blew the spirit of life into it. This spirit is comprised of 248 spiritual organs and 365 spiritual veins that are invested within the 248 organs and 365 veins of the physical body. With this, the organs of the soul act through the organs of the body, which are their tools, like an axe in the hand of the lumberjack. Proof of this, is the fact that the physical organs only perform their functions so long as the soul resides within them; the eyes see and the ears hear etc. However, upon the departure of the soul, the eyes dim and all sense and feeling vanishes from the 248 organs.",
"In like manner, the 365 spiritual veins of the soul are invested within the 365 physical veins and distribute the physical sustenance of the blood to the 248 organs of the body, together with the spiritual sustenance within it, to sustain the 248 organs of the soul. Upon death, when the soul departs, life-force ceases to be drawn to the body. As a result, the physical veins and organs fall apart, decompose and become as if they never were. From this we see that the actual identity of a person is his intellectual soul and that it resides within the body, which acts as its garment while the soul remains in this world.",
"Know that when the first man sinned by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, both his body and soul took on a composition of good and evil. This is the matter of “the contamination of the serpent,” that was instilled in Eve and Adam. This dross brought about illness, disease and death, both spiritually and physically. This is the meaning of the verse, “For on the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die” – meaning the death of the soul, as well as the death of the body.",
"We will now explain the matter of the good and evil that became mixed in them. (Examine what is written in Part Three, gates two and three, and you will understand what is written in this gate.) Behold, when man sinned with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he caused this admixture to permeate all worlds. Due to this, there is nothing that does not include both good and evil in it.",
"Therefore, the body of man was formed from the four elements of the physical world that have both good and evil included in them. These are fire, air, water and earth. However, man’s body was formed from the choicest portion of these elements. Nevertheless, this choice portion also has an admixture of evil in it. Man’s four humors (that is, the white, black, red and green humors) were formed from the grossest portion of these elements. For the body to be healthy, these humors must be balanced. However, if there is an imbalance, and any one of them overpowers the positive characteristics of the others with its negative characteristics, the result is illness and disease. If it is even more overpowering, death may result.",
"As explained, the admixture of good and evil permeated all worlds, even the upper, spiritual worlds. This being the case, the soul of man was also affected, for was it not hewn from the same four spiritual elements from which all the supernal beings were formed? These four elements are the four letters of the name HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He and blessed is His name. About this it says, “From the four spirits, come O spirit etc.” This “spirit” that comes is the essential soul of man from the side of goodness. However, God made everything with its opposite. Just as the upper spiritual worlds are the source of goodness and purity, so He created a source of evil and impurity. This is the Sitra Achera (The Other Side) which is called Adam BliYa’al (The Incorrigible Man). It is made up of four sources of destruction and four indicators of plague, which are its four bad elements. From there, an evil soul, which is called, “The Evil Inclination” (Yetzer HaRa), is drawn to man. If this soul overpowers the good soul, destruction, plagues and spiritual illnesses befall it. Moreover, if it is too overpowering, it can even cause spiritual death, God forbid.",
"Now, the pure soul, which is compared to the fruit, consists of 613 organs and veins and resides within the 613 organs and veins of the impure soul, which is compared to the shell (Kelipah) covering over the fruit. In turn, they both reside within the 613 organs and veins of the body. Thus, the organs of the pure soul reside within the organs of the impure soul and the organs of the impure soul reside within the organs of the body. In order to exist, each of these two souls needs spiritual sustenance. However, the spiritual sustenance of the holy soul is drawn to it through the fulfillment of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Torah, which consists of 613 mitzvot, corresponding to the 613 organs of the soul. Thus, the Torah is called “bread (Lechem-לחם),” as in the verse, “Come, partake of My bread.” Each of the 248 organs receives sustenance from a specific mitzvah that relates to that organ. However, if a Jew lacks the fulfillment of any mitzvah, the organ specific to that mitzvah will lack the sustenance drawn to it from the four letters of the Name HaShem-יהו\"ה. This is indicated by the verse, “You (HaShem) give life to all.” All the mitzvot depend on these four letters, as our sages of blessed memory said, “The letters Yod (י) Hey (ה) coupled with the word, ‘My name’ (שמי) of the verse, ‘This is My name and this is My memorial (זה שמי וזה זכרי) have the numerical value of 365. The letters Vav (ו) Hey (ה) coupled with the word, ‘My memorial’ (זכרי) of the same verse, have the numerical value of 248.’”",
"Likewise, as mentioned above, the roots of the four elements of the holy soul are drawn from these four letters. Therefore, if a person totally lacks a specific mitzvah, the corresponding organ of his holy soul starves to death and departs, God forbid. In turn, when this holiness departs from it, the spirit of impurity from the four elements of the impure soul fills the void and becomes vested in it. This is the secret of the Rabbinic dictum, “Tyre did not become a great metropolis until Jerusalem was destroyed.” Thus, the organ now receives its sustenance from the “impure bread” that was exiled from there.",
"This is the meaning of the statement, “The wicked are considered to be dead during their lifetime.” This is because the holy soul from the Living God has withdrawn from them. Rather, death, which is called, “The ultimate source of impurities,” rests upon them. Conversely, regarding a Jew who desists from transgressing the 365 negative mitzvot, the sages stated, “A person who desists from transgressing a negative mitzvah is rewarded as if he performed a positive mitzvah.” In other words, by not transgressing, he empowers the spiritual sustenance that is drawn through the positive mitzvot, as mentioned above, to flow through the “pipes,” which are the 365 veins of the soul, thus enlivening its 248 organs. However, if he transgresses any of them, the pipe specific to that transgression becomes blocked due to the contamination of the sustenance from the Kelipah, which adheres to the walls of the pipe. When the pipe withers, the organ that receives from it withers with it. This is so, even if the life-force is not totally withdrawn from it, similar to one who lacks a positive mitzvah. Nonetheless, it becomes blemished.",
"This being the case, every Jew should make every effort to fulfill as many of the 613 mitzvot that he can. Furthermore, when he fulfills a positive mitzvah, he should have in mind to rid the specific organ of his soul which correlates to that mitzvah, of the dross of that Kelipah. Once the dross has been removed, the holy organ of the mitzvah may rest upon him. This is the secret of the verse, “Their sins were upon their bones,” because when the one rises, the other falls. Likewise, when an opportunity to transgress comes about, he should restrain himself from doing it and have in mind that by doing so, the dross in the specific vein of his soul which correlates to that transgression withdraws. With this, the blockage will be removed and the spiritual influence which is drawn by way of that spiritual pipe will be able to flow through. In this way, his soul becomes a seat and a vehicle for HaShem’s-יהו\"ה holiness, blessed is He. This is the secret of, “The forefathers are the Chariot (Merkavah).”"
],
[
"Gate Two",
"Concerning the blemishes that come about through bad character traits",
"The character traits are naturally embedded in the lowly, elemental soul of man. This soul is comprised of four aspects; inanimate, vegetative, animate and articulate. They too are a composite of good and evil. Therefore, the good and bad character traits depend on this soul. They constitute a seat, foundation and root for the upper, intellectual soul, upon which the 613 mitzvot of the Torah depend, as mentioned above in gate one. Because of this, the character traits are not included as part and parcel of the 613 mitzvot. Nonetheless, they are essential prerequisites to their fulfillment or negation, for the simple reason that the intellectual soul is powerless to fulfill the mitzvot with the 613 organs of the body, except through the agency of the elemental soul which is connected to the body. This is the secret meaning of the verse, “For the soul of every flesh; its blood is its life.” This being the case, bad character traits are actually much worse than the transgressions themselves.",
"We may now understand why our sages, of blessed memory, said, “When a person loses his temper, it is as if he is actually worshipping idolatry” – which is a negation of all 613 mitzvot of the Torah! Furthermore, they said, “Whosoever has a haughty spirit is likened to one who denies the fundamental truth of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה existence. He is worthy of being cut down like an Asherah grove.” There are many such quotes. Contemplate this greatly and consider that since the character traits are root-causes and fundamental characteristics imbedded in the natural soul, they are not counted amongst the 613 mitzvot that depend on the intellectual soul. We therefore find that greater caution must be taken to safeguard oneself from bad character traits, than even from fulfilling the positive mitzvot or desisting from committing the negative mitzvot. This is because if a Jew has good character traits, he will not find it difficult to fulfill all the mitzvot.",
"With this, we may now understand some astounding comments made by our sages, of blessed memory, regarding character traits, such as the statement that humility and a sense of lowliness bring about the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh), in which the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו\"ה (the Shechinah) rests upon a person. Furthermore, Eliyahu said, “Only a person who is not short-tempered will be given the ability to explain the meanings of Torah. Moreover, I too, will not be revealed except to one who is not short-tempered.” Likewise, our sages of blessed memory said, “Who is worthy of life in the coming world? Whosoever is lowly and humble.” There are many such statements. Note that they mention good character traits rather than fulfilling the mitzvot. Set your eyes upon these goals and you shall surely find success.",
"However, just as the four physical elements are the roots from which the 613 organs of the body were formed, so likewise, the physical life-force of these four elements are the foundations of all the good and bad character traits, which are the means by which the Torah and the 613 mitzvot, that come from the four-letter Name HaShem-יהו\"ה, may be fulfilled or negated. It is the intellectual soul, which is comprised of the four spiritual elements from which its 613 organs were hewn, that fulfills the mitzvot. Contemplate this well and you will understand that the basis for the fulfillment or negation of the mitzvot are good and bad character traits.",
"We have already explained that HaShem-יהו\"ה composed everything of two opposites, good and evil. Just as there are four bodily elements composed of good and bad; the white, green, black and red humors, and these powers either establish a physically healthy body (“Matter”) or damage it, so is it regarding the life-force of the natural, elemental soul (“Form”). Its four elements are also comprised of both good and evil which affect its health through good character traits, or its illness, through bad character traits that are drawn from its four evil, impure Kelipot (Husks). When a Jew rids himself of these bad character traits, then, in their stead, the four letters of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Name become invested in the natural soul and become a life-giving light for it. Thus, the natural soul and the physical body become a vehicle for HaShem’s-יהו\"ה holiness in the world of Action (Asiyah) [which is the Nefesh level of the intellectual soul]. This, literally, is similar to what was explained about the intellectual soul when it fulfills the mitzvot.",
"Moreover, keep in mind that, besides this, through occupying oneself in the study of the four levels of Torah, which form the acronym פרדס-PaRDeS (The Orchard), which are Peshat, Remez, Derush, and Sod, the Ruach level of one’s intellectual soul becomes a seat for the four letters of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Name in the world of Formation (Yetzirah). Likewise, through contemplation and mental focus, the Neshamah level of his intellectual soul becomes a seat for the four letters of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Name in the world of Creation (Beriyah).",
"Returning to the explanation of the acquisition of good character traits through the clarification of the four elements; know that all the bad character traits are rooted in the evil and Kelipah of the four levels of the elemental soul. Because of this, all bad character traits may be categorized into four kinds, as follows:",
"A) The Element of Fire: This element is the source of arrogance, which is called, “A Coarse Spirit.” This is because it is the lightest and highest of all the elements. It includes anger, because, when his will is not done, an arrogant person becomes angered. If he would always be humble and recognize his own limitations and shortcomings, he would not lose his temper. From this we see that arrogance and anger are one and the same quality. This character trait has three offshoots;
1) Being short-tempered. If not for haughtiness, a person would never be short-tempered, similar to what we explained about anger.
2) Seeking to dominate others and be honored by them. This is because he believes he is their superior.
3) Hatred toward anyone who actually is his superior. This too is an offshoot of arrogance.",
"B) The Element of Wind (Air) This element is the source of the kind of speech that is called, “Idle Chatter.” That is, talking about frivolous matters that have no bearing on anything, neither spiritually nor physically. This character trait has four offshoots;\n
1) Speaking words of flattery.\n
2) Speaking falsehoods.\n
3) Speaking badly (the evil tongue) of others.\n
4) Speaking words of boasting and self-aggrandizement to others.",
"C) The Element of Water This element is the source of lust and the desire for pleasure. This is because water causes all manner of pleasurable things to grow. This character trait has two offshoots;\n
1) Envy. This leads to stealing another’s property or seducing his wife or the theft of anything that someone else possesses that he wants to delight in.\n
2) Jealousy. If his friend is wealthy or the like, which he wishes he could be; he will harbor jealousy toward him.",
"D) The Element of Earth This element is the source of depression in all its details. It has one offshoot;\n
1) Slothfulness. This causes him to be lazy in studying Torah or fulfilling the mitzvot, either because he is depressed by the difficulty of acquiring the vanities of this world or because of troubles that befall him. Such a person will never be happy with his lot, in any matter. Moreover, no matter how wealthy he becomes, it will never satisfy him.",
"From the above, we find that there are four sources of all the bad character traits. These are arrogance (including anger, which adheres to it), idle chatter, lust for pleasure, and depression. Their sources are the four Kelipot of the Yetzer HaRa (The Evil Inclination) in the elemental soul. The opposites of these are four good character traits whose sources are the four good elements of the elemental soul. These are:
1) Humility. This is a total sense of unimportance. Such a person distances himself from any kind of anger, because anger is a result of haughtiness.\n
2) Silence. Except when he is occupied in the study of Torah and mitzvot or in the physical needs of the body or for the needs of others, he acts as if mute, as one who cannot open his mouth.\n
3) He despises all physical pleasure or unnecessary excesses.\n
4) He is always happy with his lot. This is because he realizes that it all is from HaShem-יהו\"ה above, and everything that HaShem-יהו\"ה brings about is for the good. This attitude also results in alacrity with perfect joy in serving his Creator, as scripture states, “I rejoice in Your words as one who has discovered vast treasure.” Similarly, our sages stated, “Make Torah study your permanent priority and your occupation a temporary one.”",
"We see that when bad character traits are embedded in a Jew, they obstruct him from fulfilling Torah and mitzvot. Even if he does fulfill them, it will not be for the sake of Heaven and they will be very burdensome to him. About such a person scripture states, “A golden ring in the snout of a pig,” because his impurity is still within him, vested within the Kelipot. This is as our sages, of blessed memory said, “If a person is meritorious, his Torah learning becomes a life-giving elixir. However, if he is not meritorious, it becomes fatally poisonous.” However, if a person rises up to overcome his evil inclination and battles against it, until through great effort he rids himself of his bad character traits, and thus truly fulfills Torah and mitzvot; he is called a “Perfect Tzaddik,” a “God Fearing Person” and a “Mighty Warrior who conquers his evil inclination.” Moreover, if a Jew advances in this, accustoming himself to it to an even greater degree, until he completely rids himself of all bad traits, to the point that his soul no longer lusts after them at all, and he acquires good traits to the point that they literally become natural to him, in that he no longer needs to battle against the evil inclination, since both his body and elemental soul have become thoroughly cleansed of all physical dross, as Sefer HaTikkunim comments on the verse, “Take your shoes off your feet” in regard to Moshe; then the four letters of the Name HaShem-יהו\"ה become invested in him and he becomes a holy seat for HaShem’s-יהו\"ה chariot (Merkavah), blessed is He. Such a person is called a “Friend of HaShem-יהו\"ה out of love.” He is called a “Perfect Chassid” – one who is perfect with every kind of perfection."
],
[
"Gate Three",
"A thorough explanation of the levels of “Tzaddik” and “Chassid” and how one should act in order to attain them",
"If a Jew wishes to purify and sanctify himself and truly accept the yoke of the Heavenly kingdom upon himself, let him prepare himself with all his might to perform all 613 mitzvot with alacrity. Through their fulfillment the 613 organs and veins of his soul will become perfected, as mentioned above. This is because if he lacks even one of the 248 positive mitzvot, he still lacks an organ of his soul. About such a person scripture states, “A lacking which is incalculable,” which is worse than the matter of, “Anyone who has a blemish may not approach.”\n
However, a Jew who fulfills the positive mitzvot, but has transgressed even one of the 365 negative mitzvot, is within the category of an actual “Baal Moom” – a blemished person. This is because the pipe (or vein) that draws sustenance to the organs has become bent [thereby obstructing the flow]. About such as person the verse states, “irreparably crooked.” However, the meaning of the verse is that it is only irreparable once the soul has departed from this world, because one cannot perform the mitzvot that he lacks or repent and thereby rectify the transgressions that he committed, except while he still is in this world. This is as scripture states, “Whatever you can accomplish while you are able, do it, for there is neither deed nor accounting nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave to which you are going.” “Deed” here, refers to performing the positive mitzvot, “Accounting” refers to repenting over the negative ones and “knowledge” refers to the knowledge gained through the study of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Torah. None of these are possible “in the grave to which you are going.”\n
From here we see that as long as a Jew has not fulfilled the 613 mitzvot, he is in the category of an “Imperfect Tzaddik.” It is not without warrant, that our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, prayed for permission to enter the land 515 times, corresponding to the numerical value of the word, “and I pleaded for grace-VaEtchanan-ואתחנן-515. He sought to perfect his soul by keeping the 613 mitzvot [many of which only apply in the land of Israel].\n
If a Jew fulfills all the mitzvot, but has not also fully acquired all the good character traits, in that he must constantly battle and conquer his Yetzer HaRa, such a person is in the category of a “Perfect Tzaddik who conquers his Yetzer.”\n
However, once all the good character traits become so totally imbedded in a person that they become his nature, so that he performs the 613 mitzvot with joy that comes from love, without any resistance from the Yetzer HaRa, because his physicality has become totally refined, he is called a “Perfect Chassid.” Similarly, King David said, “My heart is empty within me.” Furthermore, he said, “HaShem-יהו\"ה, my heart was not proud, nor were my eyes haughty. Neither did I pursue matters that were too great or wondrous for me. Have I not calmed and stilled my soul like an infant nursing from his mother? My soul is like a nursing infant.” This is to say that he appears as if all his good character traits were already naturally embedded in him when he first came out of his mother’s womb. Therefore, because good character traits and the performance of the mitzvot had become so embedded in King David’s nature, he called himself a Chassid, as in the verse, “Guard my soul, for I am a Chassid.”",
"Moreover, our sages, of blessed memory, said, “Whosoever desires to become a Chassid should fulfill the words of Pirkei Avot – which speak regarding the acquisition of good character traits. For example, our sages, of blessed memory, said, “Rabbi [Yehudah the Prince] said, “What is the straight path that a person should follow? Everything that is both beautiful to the doer and beautiful to him from others etc.” Akaviah ben Mehalalel said, “Contemplate three matters and you will never come to the possibility of transgressing. Know from whence you came and where you are going and before whom you are destined to give an accounting. From whence did you come? – From a putrid drop. Where are you going? – To a place of dust, maggots and worms. Before whom are you destined to give an accounting? – Before the King, King of kings, The Holy One, blessed is He.” Likewise, Rabbi Levitas of Yavneh said, “Be very, very humble, for the hope of man is maggots.” What Akaviah meant when he said, “and you will never come to the possibility of transgressing” is that you will never be subject to the Yetzer HaRa which causes a person to transgress, because your Yetzer HaRa will cease to be. However, if the Yetzer HaRa still exists and one merely restrains himself by force of willpower, he should have stated, “you will not transgress.”",
"Generally, what comes out of this is that a Tzaddik is a person who has a Yetzer HaRa but fulfills the 613 mitzvot by overcoming it. On the other hand, a person who has acquired good character traits completely, as his nature, fulfills the mitzvot because his Yetzer HaRa has been abrogated. Such a person is called a “Perfect Chassid.”",
"In addition, there is a level of piety (Chassidut) even higher than this, which is the highest of all levels. Such a person is called “Holy.” This level is mentioned often in Sefer HaTikkunim and in the Zohar, especially in Parashat Kee Teitzei of Ra’aya Mehemna, as follows:",
"“It is not without warrant that the Holy One, blessed is He, said, ‘Whosoever occupies himself in the study of Torah, in doing acts of lovingkindness and in praying with the congregation, I regard it as if he redeemed Me and My children from exile amongst the nations of the world.’ Now, how many people occupy themselves in the study of Torah, in doing acts of lovingkindness and in praying with the congregation, but nonetheless, the Holy One, blessed is He, His Indwelling Presence (the Shechinah) and Israel are not redeemed!? However, the meaning here is that a person should be occupied in the study of Torah for the sole purpose of uniting the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו\"ה (the Shechinah) to the Holy One, blessed is He. As we have established, “Acts of lovingkindness” here, means that a true Chassid is one who is kind toward his Master. That is, his intent in doing all the mitzvot is to liberate the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו\"ה (the Shechinah) from exile. By doing so, he acts kindly toward the Holy One, blessed is He. By acting kindly toward HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Indwelling Presence, he is acting kindly toward HaShem-יהו\"ה Himself, blessed is He. When Israel sinned, the Holy One, blessed is He, wanted to punish them, but their “Mother” – the Shechinah – protected them. Because of this, they descended into evil ways. What did the Holy One, blessed is He, do? He banished the children of the King, along with the Queen [the Shechinah] and He swore that He would not return to His place until the Queen returns to Her place. Thus, whosoever repents with the sole intention of liberating the Shechinah through Torah and mitzvot; such a person acts kindly toward his Master. It is as if he liberates HaShem-יהו\"ה, His Shechinah and His children from exile. Eliyahu and all the heads of the upper academies declared, ‘Raaya Mehemna-Faithful Shepherd [Moshe], you are such a person. You are the son of the King and Queen. Actually, your manner of toil for the Holy One, blessed is He, is even beyond one who acts kindly toward his Master. Rather, you are like a son who invests his whole being and strength into liberating his father and mother; who is willing to give up his very life for their sake. However, a person who is not in the category of being the son of the King, but who, nonetheless, does a kindness to the King and Queen, such a person is considered to be kindly toward his Master.’ Raaya Mehemna-the Faithful Shepherd (Moshe) stood up and bowed before the Holy One, blessed is He. He wept and said, ‘May it be HaShem’s-יהו\"ה will to regard me as a son. May it be that He will consider my actions on behalf of the Holy One, blessed is He and His Shechinah, like a son who toils on behalf of his father and mother because he loves them more than his own body, soul [Nefesh], spirit [Ruach] and super-soul [Neshamah], who regards all his possessions as worthless, except for the purpose of serving the will of his Father and Mother and liberating them. Though I realize that [in reality] everything is HaShem’s-יהו\"ה possession [and that I have nothing of my own], nonetheless, the Merciful One desires the heart.’”",
"Now, the above is as Scripture states, “You have disregarded The Rock that bore you.” Moreover, it states, “Give strength to God.” This is in accordance to the statement, “Rabbi Yochanan says, ‘Happy is he who toils in Torah and brings satisfaction to the One who formed him.’ – meaning that he does not toil in the study of Torah in order to receive reward at all. Rather, his intent is solely to bring satisfaction to the One who formed him, about Whom it is written, “In all their suffering, He suffered.” That is, wherever Israel were exiled, the Shechinah went with them. She is our Mother, about whom it says, “Thus says HaShem-יהו\"ה, ‘Where is your Mother’s bill of divorce [as proof] that I have banished her? To which of my creditors did I sell you? Truly, you were sold through your sins and through your transgressions, and she was banished with you.’” [It is, specifically, the Shechinah that] is called “The One Who formed us,” as in the verse, “You have disregarded The Rock who bore you.” [The word for rock here is Tzoor (צור), which also means the “source of form,” just as a child is formed in its mother’s womb.] This is why Rabbi Yochanan said that such a person brings satisfaction “to The One who formed him,” rather than saying “to The Holy One, blessed is He.”",
"From this we see that when a Chassid is occupied in the study of Torah or in performing the mitzvot or in good character traits; if even a hint of motivation to receive a reward is mixed into it, he is a Chassid for himself, as in the verse, “A man of kindness (Ish Chessed) brings goodness upon himself.” This is because when he fulfills the mitzvot, he brings goodness upon himself. Therefore, he is called a “Man of Chessed” rather than a “Chassid,” because he does himself the kindness. Only a person whose sole motivation is to do a kindness for his Master can be truly called a “Chassid” and a “Holy Man.” This is because he has become purified from all impurities and has sanctified himself in HaShem’s-יהו\"ה holiness, blessed is He. We find that the term קדושה-Kedushah (holiness) means “preparation,” as in the verse, “Prepare yourselves for tomorrow and you shall eat meat.” This is because such a person makes himself the vehicle for HaShem’s-יהו\"ה holiness, blessed is He. As mentioned above, rather than caring about his own glory, he only cares about his Master’s glory.",
"When Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair said, “Caution brings to zeal, zeal brings to cleanliness, cleanliness brings to separateness, separateness brings to purity, purity brings to holiness, holiness brings to fear of sin, fear of sin brings to humility, humility brings to Chassidut, Chassidut brings to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit brings to resurrecting the dead” – he was referring to this. This, specifically, is the perfect Chassidut that follows holiness and leads to the Holy Spirit. Because he totally cleaves to HaShem-יהו\"ה, he will merit to attain the revelation of the secrets of Torah and to prophesy about the future. This is as Rabbi Meir said, “Whosoever is occupied in Torah for the sake of its name (that is, for its sake, rather than for his own sake) merits many things. Moreover, the existence of the whole world is worthwhile because of him. He is called friend, beloved, a lover of God, a lover of the creatures, the delight of God and the delight of the creatures. The Torah garbs him in humility and awe. It prepares him to be a Tzaddik, a Chassid, upright and trustworthy. It distances him from sin and brings him close to merit. He benefits others with counsel and wisdom, understanding and strength, as it says, ‘Mine is counsel and wisdom; I am understanding, strength is mine.’ The Torah gives him kingship, governance and penetrating judgment. The secrets of the Torah are revealed to him. He becomes like an overflowing spring and like an ever-flowing river. He becomes modest, long-suffering and forgiving of insults. The Torah magnifies him and elevates him above all things.” Moreover, when Rabbi Meir said, “For its name (Lishmah-לשמה),” he meant for the “Name” of the Torah, in that it is the Torah of HaShem-יהו\"ה, that is, the name of the Holy One, blessed is He, in that the entire Torah is composed of the names and titles of HaShem-יהו\"ה, the Holy One, blessed is He."
],
[
"Gate Four",
"The detailed explanation of the level of Tzaddik",
"To be a Tzaddik, (that is, someone who successfully battles his evil inclination-Yetzer HaRa and keeps it in check), one must be zealous in fulfilling all the mitzvot that apply in our times, with all his might. Now, since there are several opinions regarding how to enumerate the 613 mitzvot, I will present them first according to Rambam (Maimonides), of blessed memory. Following this I will present additional mitzvot according to the count of other Torah authorities and the Zohar, including the enumeration of the positive mitzvot of the Torah, as well as the positive mitzvot of the Scribes. These will be divided into five sections:",
"1) Mitzvot that are applicable during the prayers of the regular weekdays. 2) Mitzvot that are dependent on time-factors. 3) Mitzvot that are applicable when the opportunity arises. 4) Mitzvot that a person must pursue to fulfill them. 5) Mitzvot that are not within a person’s ability to pursue. Rather, the Holy One, blessed is he, brings about the opportunity to fulfill them. They are as follows:",
"1) To realize HaShem’s-יהו\"ה existence when reciting the verse, “Listen Israel, HaShemיהו\"ה- is our God;” to realize HaShem’s-יהו\"ה unity when completing the verse with the words, “HaShem-יהו\"ה is One;” to put fringes (Tzitzit) upon a four-cornered garment and to wrap oneself in it; to don the head Tefillin according to the opinions of Rashi, Rabbeinu Tam, Shimoosha Rabba [and Raavad], to don the arm Tefillin in like manner; to recite the Shema Yisrael twice daily; to pray the Amidah prayer every day; to remember what Amalek did to us every day when answering, “Amen, Yehei Shmei Rabbah” during Kaddish and when reciting, “Draw us close to Your Great Name, [HaShem-יהו\"ה] our King,” as scripture says, “For a hand is [raised in oath] by the throne of God, ‘HaShem-יהו\"ה will wage war against Amalek from generation to generation;’” to confess every day after the Amidah prayer and during the prayer of, “Shema Koleinu;” and that the Cohanim should bless the congregation of Israel every day.",
"2) To recite Kiddush on wine at the commencement of Shabbat and Havdalah at its conclusion; to cease all activity that is forbidden on Shabbat; to nullify Chametz in his heart on the fourteenth of the month of Nissan. To recite the story of the exodus from Egypt from the Hagadah on the first night of Passover (Pesach); to cease all activity that is forbidden on the first day of Passover; to eat Matzah on the first night of Passover; to cease all forbidden activity on the seventh day of Passover; to rejoice on the three holidays of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, and to gladden his wife, his children and the poor, each in the appropriate fashion; to count Sefirat HaOmer for forty-nine full days, beginning with the evening of the sixteenth of the month of Nissan; to cease all forbidden activity on the holiday of Shavuot; to cease all forbidden activity on Rosh HaShanah; to hear the sound of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah; to cease all forbidden activity on Yom Kippur; to fast on Yom Kippur; to cease all forbidden activity on the first day of Sukkot; to cease all forbidden activity on Shemini Atzeret; to dwell in a Succah-booth for the seven days of Sukkot; to wave the four species on the first day of Sukkot.",
"3) To write a Sefer Torah; to affix a mezuzah on the doorposts of the house; to recite grace after meals; to learn and teach Torah every day; to be fruitful and multiply; to marry by way of Kiddushin; to circumcise one’s male-child; to separate challah from dough in the land of Israel; to give charity; to lend to the poor; to return a deposit on time, to make a hand-rail on one’s roof; to honor the Cohanim; to honor Torah scholars; to honor one’s father and mother; to respect one’s father and mother; to love one’s fellow Jews; to love converts; to pay one’s employees on time; to feed one’s employees; to check for the signs of kosher domesticated and undomesticated animals; to check for the signs of kosher fowl; to check for the signs of kosher fish, and locust; to mourn upon the death of one’s close relatives; to rebuke one’s fellow if he strays from the ways of Torah and mitzvot; to keep your word by fulfilling that which you have uttered to fulfill; to adhere to HaShem-יהו\"ה, and to go in His ways, to fear HaShem-יהו\"ה, to distance oneself from sin, to love HaShem-יהו\"ה in all the ways that our sages, of blessed memory, mentioned.",
"4) To separate the “Big Terumah offering; to separate the tithed Terumah; to separate the first tithing, to separate the second tithing, to separate the tithing for the poor, to leave the harvest of the corner of the field or orchard for the poor (Peah); to leave the gleanings of the harvest for the poor (Lekket); to leave the forgotten sheaves for the poor (Shichechah), to leave the single grapes of the vineyard for the poor (Perret), and to leave the gleanings of the vineyard for the poor (Oleloth); to redeem a firstborn donkey, to break the neck of a firstborn donkey if you do not wish to redeem it; that the fruit of fruit-bearing trees be sanctified (Kodesh) in the fourth year of their planting (Neta Revaee); to give the priest the due portions of the carcass of cattle, the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the maw (Zroa Lechayaim VeKeibah); To give the first fleece of the shearing to the Cohen; to return a lost object; to return a stolen object; To lend to non-Jews with interest; to compel non-Jews to pay their debts; to destroy idolatry; to correct scales, weights and measures; to help unload an animal that is buckling under its load, and to help reload it; to swear in HaShem’s-יהו\"ה name at court; to send away the mother bird; to properly slaughter domesticated and undomesticated animals and fowl; to cover the blood of the slaughtered undomesticated animal and fowl; to cry out and plead to HaShem-יהו\"ה during prayer; to blast trumpets or ram horns in times of public emergency; to cease working the land every seventh year; not to sell the fruits of the seventh year, although there is a controversy as to whether this is of biblical or rabbinic origin; To divorce with a bill of divorce (Get); that the Nazarite permit his hair to grow; to save the pursued; that the rapist marry the raped, and that he not be permitted to divorce her for the duration of his life; to sanctify the Name HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, with self-sacrifice; to appoint judges and marshals; to regard both sides of a litigation equally; to testify at court; to convict false witnesses; to interrogate the witnesses; that a groom remain with his bride for the first full year of marriage; to decide in cases of annulment of vows according to the rules set forth in Torah; to pay damages for destroyed or damaged property, to pay for damages caused by one’s animal, and damages caused by the tooth, pit or fire, damages of an unpaid keeper, a paid keeper and a borrower; business laws; laws of claims and inheritance; payments for theft; to render and pass judgment according to the majority of judges.",
"5) To redeem the first-born son; levirate marriage; to perform the Chalitzah ceremony thereby exempting one from levirate marriage.",
"The following mitzvot are of Rabbinic origin:",
"Lighting the Shabbat candles; lighting the Chanukah lights; hearing the reading of the book of Esther; washing one’s hands when waking from sleep and before meals; the laws of enclosures (Eruvin), including enclosures of courtyards (Eiruv Chatzeirot), enclosures of localities on Shabbat for the purpose of a mitzvah (Eiruv Techumin), enclosures for the purpose of cooking on a holiday for Shabbat (Eiruv Tavshilin), enclosures between alleyways (Shitoophei Mevouoth); The four fast days of the 17th of Tammuz, the 9th of Av, the 3rd of Tishrei, the 10th of Tevet, as well as the fast of Esther, and fasting on special decreed fast days of public emergency.",
"The following are Torah mitzvoth according to other Torah authorities and according to the Holy Zohar:",
"To recall the exodus from Egypt while reciting the verses about Tzitzit day and night; to remember the Shabbat day every day; to remember the day of the giving of the Torah; to remember that we angered HaShem-יהו\"ה in the desert; to remember the incident involving Miriam; to make a special blessing before reading the Torah; to look upon the Tzitzit while reciting “and you shall look upon it;” to fully repent; to have fear of HaShem-יהו\"ה when reciting the order of the sacrifices in the morning and when reciting the Pesookei D’Zimra which follow them; to love HaShem-יהו\"ה during the blessing of “An eternal love etc.,” and during the verse, “And you shall love HaShem-יהו\"ה your God” etc., to bless Him with “Yishtabach” and in “Yotzer Ohr” and in “Yotzer HaMeorot” and during the seven blessings that accompany the “Shema” morning and evening; to sanctify HaShem’s-יהו\"ה name by potentially giving over one’s soul unto death when reciting the verse, “Listen Israel, HaShem-יהו\"ה is our G-d, HaShem-יהו\"ה is one;” to sanctify His name when reciting “Nakdeeshach;” to give one’s soul over unto death and to adhere to Him when reciting the verse, “To You HaShem-יהו\"ה, I give over my soul;” to know that HaShem-יהו\"ה is God when reciting the verse, “Shema Yisroel – Listen Israel, HaShem-יהו״ה is our God, HaShem-יהו״ה is one,” to delight on Shabbat; to do the Havdalah ceremony at the end of the Holidays, to say the Hallel prayers at their specific times; to swear in His Name to fulfill a mitzvah; to recite special blessings when enjoying anything of the world; to afflict oneself with the five afflictions of the day of atonement-Yom Kippur; to burn the leavening on the 14th day of Nissan; to honor those who are advanced in years or in wisdom; to be modest in the lavatory; to praise Divine justice on all occasions; to give offerings to HaShem-יהו\"ה from the choicest of our goods; to build a house of prayer; to destroy the name of idolatry, to only mention them for disgrace, to chop down an Asherah grove, to burn an Asherah grove, to break their idols, to destroy their high places, to destroy their alters, to destroy instruments used for idolatry; to separate from one’s wife before her menstrual period; to refrain from marital relations during her menstrual period; to have awe and fear of Torah scholars; to circumcise one’s heart; to love being rebuked; to go beyond the letter of the law in keeping the mitzvot; to walk wholeheartedly with HaShem-יהו\"ה your God, and not go in the ways of the Chaldeans; to love one’s fellow Jew; especially to always judge others favorably even when they are not before you; to try to make peace between people; to give charity to the poor; To return any fixed interest charged to a Jew; to fulfill the laws that relate to saving a life and the perpetuation of life; to annul the vows of one’s wife and children; to instruct, render, and teach Torah law; that a judge must fulfill the verse, “Distance yourself from a false word;” to render proper Torah judgments in the laws that govern partnerships, divisions of land and inheritances, and all other types of legal claims and suits.",
"The following positive mitzvot are of rabbinical origin:",
"To make vessels kosher through boiling them; to ritually immerse new vessels in a ritual bath (Mikvah); to search for any leavened bread (Chametz) on the night of the fourteenth of Nissan; to eat the bitter herb (Maror) on the first night of Passover; to recite blessings on all the mitzvot, and to bless HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, for all the miracles and occurrences that happen to him; to read from the Torah scroll at the times that were affixed by Moshe, peace be upon him, on the Shabbat and festivals etc."
],
[
"Gate Five",
"The Level of a Chassid",
"In explanation of matters that are constant, are very important and need great caution, as clarified from the words of our sages of blessed memory, in Talmud, Midrash, in the Tractate on fear of sin (Yirat Cheit), the Tractate on upright behavior (Derech Eretz) and in Zohar: It was explained in previous chapters that there are three levels:",
"1) The acquisition of good character traits in one’s elemental soul until they become completely natural to him. 2) Desisting from the evil of the 365 negative mitzvot, in the intellectual soul. 3) Fulfilling the 248 positive mitzvot that are called, “Do good.” Now, there also is an intermediate level, which is the acquisition of character traits that are close to desisting from doing the negative commandments. These are gleaned from the words of the Prophets and the words of Scripture.",
"A) Character traits that are particularly serious and despicable, which obstruct a Jew from cleaving to HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, are arrogance, anger, impatience, depression, hatred, jealousy, lust, covetousness, lording over others, seeking honor, and boasting. Their opposites are lowliness to the endth degree, to never become angered even with members of your household, to never be pedantic and demanding of others, to be insulted without returning insults, to always be happy even in times of trouble, to love everyone including non-Jews, to not be jealous over anything, since after all, our days on earth are like a passing shadow, to despise all the vanities of this world, to live a life of Torah and mitzvot even if it means eating bread with salt and only drinking water, not to desire any of the vanities of this world, to flee from a position of power, which puts a person into an early grave. Also, do not be demonstrative of your righteousness, for by doing so, not only will you lose your reward in the coming world, but you also will be punished over it in purgatory.",
"B) Desisting from forbidden character traits. These are speaking badly of others, gossiping, embarrassing others, calling your fellow by a negative nickname, mockery, speaking lies, flattery, deceit, idle chatter, pointing out a person’s faults to others, delighting in the downfall of others, causing strife amongst brothers, profiting from the honor of the Torah, and looking at nakedness.",
"C) Desisting from committing severe negative mitzvot that are accompanied by the cutting off of the soul, death by the hands of heaven or death by the hands of the earthly court. Of these, profaning the Name HaShem-יהו\"ה is the worst of all. It is written, “You shall be clean to HaShem-יהו\"ה and to Israel,” specifically clean of marital relations with a menstruating woman or any type of physical closeness to her. Keeping Shabbat with all its details, cleaning the forbidden sinews and fats from meat, avoiding seminal emission, even involuntary emission, not making use of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה holy names, for whosoever who makes use of the crown will be destroyed, not to disgrace a Torah scholar, for a person such as this is called a heretic (“Apikorus”), to desist from incriminating and slandering others, especially to non-Jews. Other severe prohibitions are swearing in the Name of HaShem-יהו\"ה, even about the truth, false testimony and any type of oath, and desisting from eating any forbidden food.",
"D) Fulfilling the positive mitzvot of Tzitzit, Tefillin, reciting the Shema twice daily, honoring the Shabbat in all its details, circumcision of male offspring, doing acts of lovingkindness, visiting the sick, welcoming guests into your home, bringing peace between people, praying the Amidah prayer with complete focus and joy, bringing merit to those who are unmeritorious, conducting one’s business affairs honestly, giving charity to the poor, giving charity in an unpretentious and hidden manner, and setting of times for the study of Torah day and night, for the study of Torah is commensurate to them all.",
"E) Fulfilling Torah customs; reciting the Shema before retiring to bed at night, rising at midnight to mourn for the exile of the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו\"ה (the Shechinah) and the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and to be occupied in the study of Torah until dawn, the fear of HaShem-יהו\"ה should always be upon your face and keep you far from sin, know HaShem-יהו\"ה in all your ways, your soul should always cleave to HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, without stopping for even a moment."
],
[
"Gate Six",
"A short summary of everything that was mentioned in the previous gates, within which the order of conduct of a Chassid is briefly explained in all his deeds throughout the days of his life, so that he will not stumble",
"Now my son, listen to my voice in all that I instruct you. Prepare yourself to greet your God, Israel. Every night before going to sleep remember that sleep is a foretaste of death and remind yourself of the great and true death. Contemplate all your deeds of that day. If any were bad, confess them before HaShem-יהו\"ה, as is the custom of all who are sentenced to death.",
"During the recital of Shema before going to sleep, accept the yoke of heaven upon yourself so that your soul will be uplifted to HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, with the word One-Echad-אחד. After this, put your soul into His hand, blessed is He, with the verse, “I place my spirit into Your hands.” This is similar to true death, about which it states, “And the spirit returns to God etc.” However, since sleep is just a foretaste of true death, give your soul over to Him as a temporary deposit, with the understanding that in the morning it will be returned to you revitalized and refreshed. Then, with fear and trepidation, lay down on your bed, for now your spirit will ascend to give an accounting of all your deeds, words and thoughts during that day, before the Creator, blessed is He and blessed is His Name. Then quiet your heart and mind from thinking idle thoughts until you fall asleep in fear of HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He.",
"When you wake up for the midnight prayers (Tikkun Chatzot) be as light as an eagle to rise quickly from your bed. Properly wash your hands to remove the spirit of impurity from your flesh. Bless and praise HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, for although you are guilty of many sins, in His faithfulness He did not delay your spirit from returning to you. Be thankful that it was not real death, but that instead, HaShem-יהו\"ה returned your soul to a lifeless body, renewed and refreshed with new vigor and energy.",
"Moreover, do not be unappreciative of all this, but instead, agonize over the exile of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Indwelling Presence and the destruction of His Holy Sanctuary. For your sins and the sins of your forefathers caused all this, and as of yet, His Indwelling Presence (Shechinah) is still in her fallen state. Nevertheless, HaShem-יהו\"ה paid no heed to your evil deeds and though you went to bed tired and weary, He returned your soul renewed and invigorated. Moreover, through mourning for the exile of the Shechinah you will merit beholding the redemption of Zion, along with all those who mourn for her. After this, if you are able, occupy yourself with the study of the oral Torah until dawn. Through this you draw down influence upon the Shechinah and strengthen her from her great fall.",
"At dawn, run to the house of prayer to receive the Shechinah - the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו\"ה, for she has already preceded you there to listen to your prayers that she be uplifted and returned to Zion, where she formally was. Moreover, even though you cannot accomplish this singlehandedly, nonetheless, you actually help in uplifting her to some degree. As recompense, she will listen to your prayer and fulfill your requests for goodness. Therefore, my son, when you pray, do so with joy and align your thoughts to HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Supernal intent. When you pray, your intention should be for the Shechinah to be uplifted and to do a kindness to your Maker, rather than merely praying for your own needs, and then the prayers for your needs become like the request of a servant who has no source of livelihood other than from his master. ",
"If you truly call out to HaShem-יהו\"ה, He too will be close to you, as it states, “HaShem-יהו\"ה is close to all who call Him, to all who call Him in truth,” and, “For HaShem-יהו\"ה seeks all hearts and He understands the inclination of all thoughts and knows all who take refuge in Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you.”",
"This is particularly so when you confess your sins before Him after the Amidah prayer, or if you say the blessing, “Who listens to prayer” of the Amidah prayer with all your heart, with the resolve to never revert to sin. For HaShem-יהו\"ה knows all hidden and revealed matters. He beholds the kidneys and the heart. Likewise, during the Nefilat Apayim prayer, when you reach the verse, “HaShem-יהו\"ה, I give my soul over to You,” resolve with all your heart to sacrifice yourself unto death, if necessary, for the sake of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Torah and mitzvot. On condition that your mouth and heart are truly one, all your sins will be forgiven.",
"After concluding your prayers, go from strength to strength by establishing set times to study the Torah of HaShem-יהו\"ה for the sake of its Name (particularly right after the morning prayers). Do not change or postpone these set times under any circumstances. Afterwards, eat your meal of bread with salt and a measure of water, for, “a Tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul,” that is, just enough to maintain his health. This too, should be done for the sake of heaven, to have the strength to properly serve HaShem-יהו\"ה, as written, “In all your ways, know Him.” Approach your table, which is compared to an altar, with awe, for you are eating at the table of the King.",
"Now, so that your table will be an altar that atones for your sins, eat little and thereby weaken the power of the external husk of the food that nourishes you, and while eating, occupy yourself in Torah by learning a Mishnah or a Psalm. Through this, your table will be declared to be an altar to HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, as it states, “This table is in the presence of HaShem-יהו\"ה.” This weakens your evil inclination, whereas your intellectual soul becomes strengthened and nourished by your Torah study.",
"After you finish your meal and have been physically and spiritually nourished through eating and studying, do not be unappreciative. Bless HaShem-יהו\"ה for all the goodness He has sustained you with, by reciting the blessings after meals with great joy, like a person who has just received a precious gift, as we say in the blessing, “for the Torah that you taught us and for the consumption of food that you sustain us with.” In the merit of doing this, HaShem-יהו\"ה will open His treasury of goodness to you and will sustain you always.",
"After this, see to either doing a new mitzvah, in order to perfect the 248 organs of your soul, or do an old mitzvah to add to your merit before the Holy One, blessed is He. After this, go to your occupation or business, and conduct them faithfully and honestly, without deceit or price gouging. Do not approach your business affairs with the intent of becoming wealthy, but rather, to meet your physical needs. Make your study of Torah essential and your business affairs non-essential, for as Torah tells us regarding the manna, “The one who gathered more had no leftovers and the one who gathered less had no lacking; each person gathered according to his eating needs.”",
"Also, never accept gifts, for whosoever despises receiving gifts will live, for it is HaShem-יהו\"ה who impoverishes or gives wealth. It is He who gives you the strength to accomplish. Therefore, cast your needs upon HaShem-יהו\"ה with all your heart and He will sustain you. May the fear of HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, be upon your face, so as not to commit any of the 365 Torah prohibitions. Take particular care not to fall into bad character traits, which are like sourdough that causes physicality to rise, especially those bad character traits that are readily found and therefore trampled upon.",
"Matters that should be avoided in the extreme",
"Beware of every kind of anger, pedantry and arrogance, even in relation to the members of your household. If someone insults you do not answer him. Rather, when insulted, do not respond in kind, for about this it is written, “Those who love Him are like the sun coming out in its full strength.” Pass over your feelings towards whoever sinned against you and do not be anguished over it, even in your heart, because, in actuality, it is for your good, in that whosoever passes over his feelings, all his intentional sins are likewise passed over, and this certainly also applies to unintentional sins. On the contrary, it would be wise to seek out someone who causes you anguish, for by doing so you seek life.",
"Greet every person with joy, even if he hates you, for by doing so, he will be transformed into your friend and this will be to your merit. Let all your words be calm and speak in a low voice, lest you enter into the domain of anger. Rid your heart of sorrow and worry and thus remove negativity from yourself, for negativity is a trap that removes the Holy Spirit from being upon you. Moreover, flee from a position of power, for it shortens one’s life.",
"Distance yourself from idle chatter, falsehood, flattery, jesting and speaking badly of others (Lashon HaRa), for whoever engages in these will not greet the face of the Shechinah – the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו\"ה – in the coming world. Rather, take hold of humility, which brings one to receiving the Holy Spirit and be like a threshold that is stepped on by young and old. Block your ears from listening to gossip, the evil tongue and idle chatter, and make yourself like a deaf person who cannot hear. Moreover, make yourself as if you are mute and do not speak except in matters of Torah, mitzvot and necessary business matters. Greet everyone with a smile and soft words. Do not boast about your good deeds to others, for by doing so you lose the reward and moreover, you will be punished for boasting.",
"Be very careful with the afternoon prayers, for Eliyahu the prophet was specifically answered in the afternoon prayers. Moreover, it is a time of complete judgment, because at noon, the day begins to wane and the shadows of evening begin to form. Be even more careful with the evening prayers, when darkness already covers the earth and all the destructive forces awaken and are arrayed against the body and soul of man, when it ascends in sleep, to give an accounting before its Creator, blessed is He.",
"Also keep to the additional matters that I already have included in the fifth Gate. For the sake of brevity, I have not repeated them here.",
"We now will prepare a general remedy, comprising of three things that save a person from all maladies of the soul. This is because there are three things that cause a person to stray and damage his soul. 1) Physicality causes a person to forget goodness and brings him to sin. 2) He has it in his heart to seek pleasure in life as long as he can. 3) Even if he sets his heart to remember goodness, he could be beset with worry about providing for his physical needs throughout the seventy years of his physical life. This is actually worse than the two above-mentioned matters.",
"Therefore, my son, do the following and save yourself from these three transgressions of Israel: To combat the first problem, always think deeply whether you should do or speak even the smallest thing or whether you should desist from doing so, for regret is the produce of rushing into something, and once a word is said or a deed is done, there is no taking it back.",
"To combat the second problem, place the fear of HaShem-יהו\"ה before you. Let not the fear of the day of death pass from your eyes, when you will go down into the grave and become the food of worms and maggots and suffer decomposition and the judgment of purgatory, nor should you forget the great and awesome day of judgment for all mankind, which even Samuel the prophet, who is equated to both Moshe and Aharon, was fearful of.",
"To combat the third problem, acquire the quality of true trust in HaShem-יהו\"ה, for HaShem-יהו\"ה sees all man’s ways and recompenses him accordingly. Moreover, man’s actions and schemes are ineffectual in this, for “the race is not won by the swift.” Rather, give your needs over to HaShem-יהו\"ה, as we say, “Happy is the man who does not forget You, and a person who strengthens in You, for those who seek You will never falter and those who find shelter in You will never be shamed.”",
"Until this point, we have provided explanations on how a person should conduct himself to be a Tzaddik or a Chassid. From this point on, we will engage in matters of rebuke that bring one to submission to HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, and the consequences of persisting on the wrong path, as well as the bountiful reward for greatly desiring HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Torah and mitzvot."
]
]
},
"Part 2": {
"": [
[
"Part Two",
"Gate One",
"Words of Rebuke",
"Now, son of man, open your eyes from your blindness and realize that all the pleasures and goodness of this world are vanity and error. Why be prideful over others? If you are proud of your tall and upright stature, others too were created in the image of God, just like you. If you are proud of your family lineage, are we not all the children of one man and are not all Jews children of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov? If you are proud of your wealth, are there not many empty-headed and reckless people who are wealthier than you? Moreover, it is HaShem-יהו\"ה who impoverishes and enriches. Therefore, if you are wealthy, do not glorify in your wealth, for it could be wealth kept for its possessor to his detriment.",
"If you are proud of your authority and honor over others, are there not many despicable people who have power over others in this world, as proverbs states, “because of a slave who reigns.” Furthermore, wealth and honor are in HaShem’s-יהו\"ה control and He brings the haughty down to the ground. If you are proud of your intelligence, there were many people who were more intelligent than you, such as Doeg, Achitophel and Yeravam, who lost their lives, both in this world and the coming world. For it is in HaShem’s-יהו\"ה power to distort the utterances of the trustworthy and take reason away from the elders. Therefore, let not the wise glory in his wisdom, for how can you be haughty if from your very inception you were born of a putrid drop, and you entered and exited by way the birth canal.",
"Moreover, during your lifetime you are shameful and disgraceful, and in death, you are worms and maggots, for from dust you came and to dust you shall return and will be as if you never were. How then can you be angered at others, but not at yourself, being that by your anger you destroy your very soul and serve idolatry, thus angering your Maker who will exact punishment from you.",
"How then can a person place importance on the vanities of this world when his end is to perish. “The spirit passes over him and he is gone, and his place no longer recognizes him,” “and whoever has seen him will say, ‘where is he?’” Why then, will you be saddened at the loss of a world that is not yours, but are not saddened about the departure of your soul from your body with trembling, quaking, sudden fear and great darkness falling upon you?",
"Why do you lust for material wealth, in amassing gold and building great houses and storerooms, for in the end, you will be carried to the grave emptyhanded and all your wealth will be left in the hands of others? Why then do you labor so greatly to amass wealth, when in reality, it all depends on HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Divine providence, even a Torah scroll in the sanctuary? Why are you concerned with a world that is not yours, for in the blink of an eye, you will be transported to a different world? Then all your efforts will be as nothing, because all your energy was spent in acquiring worthless vanity and nothingness. Why do you reject the Torah of eternal life for the sake of amassing the possessions of transient life? For everything that God has decreed upon you, whether for poverty or for wealth, cannot be added to nor subtracted from, for it is HaShem-יהו\"ה who impoverishes and enriches. You thus lose your eternal life, without having accomplished even half of what you lusted for, but tomorrow you will lay in the dust. Maggots will be beneath you and worms will cover you. Why then do you seek power and high position when the hope of man is maggots?",
"Moreover, one kingdom does not overlap another kingdom even by a hairsbreadth, for kingship is HaShem’s-יהו\"ה. It is in His power to strengthen and make great. It is He who lowers one person and elevates another. How then can you speak wickedly of your fellow, who is better than you, when there are many accusing angels who tell of your wickedness and point out your sins before He who spoke and the world was?",
"Why do you hate your enemy, when in reality you have no greater enemy than yourself, in that you bring evil upon yourself by oppressing and damaging your eternal soul and pleasuring your body, which is nothing but a clump of earth that is here today and gone tomorrow? Why do you love your true enemy, the evil inclination-Yetzter HaRa that is within you, though he seeks your downfall and desires to kill you? You are like a bird hurrying to the trap, unaware that it’s life will be lost as the arrow splits it liver!",
"Why do you flatter one such as you, born of woman, and are embarrassed from him, but are not embarrassed before the great and awesome King who is the judge over all, and whose glory fills the earth? The souls of all living creatures are in His hands and from His abode He supervises all who dwell on earth. Why do you sin in secrecy though all your deeds and words are recorded in the book? For HaShem’s-יהו\"ה eyes scan all the ways of man on earth. He takes account of all your steps and will bring you to judgment over every hidden thing. Why would you waste your time on things that exist today but are gone tomorrow, for the span of your life is short. When will you prepare for your eternal abode if you are preoccupied by these things, for as known, whosoever does not toil on the eve of Shabbat will not eat on Shabbat.",
"Look and see how many people died in their youth and how many miscarriages and suckling infants passed away and were cut off from life, like a stalk whose produce is cut off. No man knows his appointed time, when he will die and his name will be lost from the world. If so, how can you forget the day of death, the judgment of purgatory and the great and awesome day of judgment of the coming future? Who can withhold it, to give you refuge from these? For nothing is as sure as death and no man is saved from the grave. In the end you will groan for the gates of repentance, but they will be locked before you and there will be no remedy for your afflictions and sins.",
"All this being so, how can your eyes avoid the reality of death when, in fact, it is coiled like a snake around your heel. Every night you lay upon your bed like a corpse, as a reminder of actual death. Death is tied like frontlets between your eyes and like deep slumber upon your eyelids. This knowledge protects you when you sleep, but when you wake up, you look away at all the vanities of the world, at wealth that is not yours, at pleasures that are not yours, at power over others that is not yours, and at a world that is not yours."
],
[
"Gate Two",
"Words of rebuke gleaned from the words of our sages, of blessed memory",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated that a person should always be in a state of fear of Heaven, privately as well as openly. Happy is he who sets all his words and all his ways for the sake of Heaven. Let your eyes and heart always be directed toward your Creator, so that you will be saved from every type of sin and transgression. Let the fear of He who formed you always be upon you, and let the awe of Him be constantly present in your heart and mind, and before your eyes, so that they are never removed from before your eyes for even a moment.",
"Let the day of death never depart from before your eyes, and the day of your burial and the day of great judgment. It should be for you as if you actually see it, and as if it actually is upon you, as though you are about to enter into judgment, so that thoughts of sin do not even come upon your heart. For, all your limbs shall testify about you, and against your will you will be forced to give an accounting before the King, King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He.",
"Each and every day you should lament to yourself that you did not adequately give charity to Torah scholars or properly study Torah, for every day that has passed shall never be returned to you.",
"Our sages stated that at the time of a person’s passing from this world, the angel of death asks him, “Did you engage in Torah study and acts of kindness? Did you crown your Maker over you every morning and evening? Did you crown your fellows over you as your superiors and with a pleasant spirit?” If he has these qualities, his soul will then depart from his body as with a kiss, but if not etc.",
"The second judgment is the judgment of the grave. The day of entering the grave is even more arduous than the judgments of purgatory. Even the perfectly righteous Tzaddikim who have never sinned are judged by it. What then shall a person do to be saved from the torments of the grave (Chibut HaKever)? He should engage in Torah study, love charity, rebuke, and acts of kindness, and he should welcome Torah scholars and guests into his home, and provide them with delight in his belongings, and he also should pray with devotion. He will then be saved from the torments of the grave and even the judgments of purgatory will not be visited upon him.",
"The third judgment is the judgment of purgatory. At the time of his judgment, the Holy One, blessed is He, asks him, “Did you engage in Torah study and acts of lovingkindness?” If he has these qualities, he then is exempted from the judgments of purgatory. Happy is the man who subjugates himself like an ox to a yoke and like a donkey to a burden, so that he sits and studies and reviews the words of Torah every day constantly, reading the words of the Torah, the Prophets and the Scriptures, and reviewing the laws and teachings. If he does so, increasing his engagement in Torah study and minimizing his engagement in the pursuit of wealth, the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) will immediately rest upon him.",
"Eliyahu, who is remembered for good, stated: “As the heavens and earth are my witnesses, any man or woman, whether they are Gentile or Jew, even if they are a servant or a maid, the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) will dwell upon each person according to his actions!” Happy is he who places all these matters before his face at all times, meriting to perfect himself in these ways all the days of his life, and conducting himself according to these manners throughout his life and with all these deeds. If only he guards himself, keeping his limbs and body far from all sin and transgression, he will merit all the glory that is hidden for the righteous Tzaddikim, glory that is incalculable and beyond measure, such that no physical eye can behold it, and the physical ear is incapable of grasping the great glory that is apportioned to the righteous Tzaddikim and the pious Chassidim. It is about this that the verse states, “Such things have never been heard or noted, no eye has seen them God, but You, that which He will do for those who have awaited Him!”"
],
[
"Gate Three",
"The reward for fulfilling Torah and Mitzvot",
"In order that you know the reason for the fulfillment of the mitzvot, as they are founded upon their roots in the manner that I revealed to you in Part One, I will quote what the sages stated in the Book of Repairs (Sefer HaTikkunim), in Tikkun 18, and in Tikkun 70, and will compile the explanations of their roots and organize them into a very brief summary. They stated as follows:",
"Every prophet and all human beings are bound to and ascend to the particular [spiritual] limb to which their soul is included and bound. There are those who stem from the head of the King, and there are those who stem from the hairs of the head, some are bound to the eyes, some to the ears, and some to the nose, the mouth, the neck and throat, and the hands. There are those who stem from the stature of the torso which is the body, some from the thighs, from the legs or feet, and some from the organ that is the sign of the covenant, some from the brain and some from the heart. Each of these limbs possesses a corresponding known Sefirah of the ten Sefirot, and all these limbs and organs are what is known as the form of the body of the King (Goofa d’Malka). There also are those whose souls stem from the garments (Levushin) of the King.",
"All six-hundred and thirteen commandments of the Torah are tied to these limbs of the body of the King (Goofa d’Malka). There are mitzvot that are tied to the head of the King, and those that are tied to the eyes etc. For each of the mitzvot that dwell upon each particular limb, there is a known name, and within that name is the Name HaShem-יהו״ה, which is the soul of that limb. All the limbs are called the particular titles (Kinuyim) for the Name HaShem-יהו״ה, for it is He who is within each particular limb. Each of those names and titles for each of the particular limbs only has dominion over its particular limb. However, the Holy One, blessed is He, whose Name is HaShem-יהו״ה, His rule and dominion is over them all, just as the soul has dominion and rule over all of the particular limbs and organs. About this the verse states, “The whole earth is filled with His glory.”",
"Those commandments that a person fulfills without any ulterior motive of receiving reward, are tied to the form of the King in the world of Emanation-Atzilut. However, those commandments that a person fulfills for the ulterior motive of receiving reward, are tied to the form of he who is called a lad (Na’ar) above in Godliness.",
"Now, there are also hosts of angels that are bound to each and every limb of the form of the King. There are angels that are called “the eyes of HaShem-יהו״ה,” those who are called “the ears of HaShem-יהו״ה,” and those who are called “the hands of HaShem-יהו״ה” etc. They all are bound to the body of the King (Goofa d’Malka) like the strands of hair that are attached to the head. That is, each strand is a single angel.",
"The 613 limbs and organs of man are thus all ordered according to the order of the whole of creation, and it is for this reason that man is called a “microcosm of the world” (Olam Katan). With every mitzvah that a person fulfills, he causes the coronation of the Holy One, blessed is He, over that limb or organ of his soul, according to what that particular mitzvah is. The same applies to each particular limb and organ of his soul, each of which are called flames (Neirot-נרות), as it states, “The soul of man is the flame of HaShem-נר יהו״ה,” and it is with that limb that he performs that particular commandment, which likewise is called a flame (Ner-נר), as it states, “The commandment (mitzvah) is a flame (Ner-נר).”",
"It is necessary for a person to eradicate all impure and vile thoughts and impurities from each of these limbs and organs. For, they stem from the extraneous husks (Kelipot) which dwell in man. He therefore must repair and prepare the place, to refine and cleanse it, thus making it is a fitting receptacle within which the flame of HaShem-יהו״ה can dwell. For, when any limb or organ becomes blemished through the iniquities and transgressions that a person does, the Holy One blessed is He does not dwell in that limb. This is as stated, “For any man in whom there is a blemish shall not approach.” Any person who causes blemish to a particular commandment, it is as if he has transgressed against the form and body of the King. A person must therefore burn those external husks (Kelipot) that dwell there in each of those limbs, and must eradicate them from within him. For, those extraneous husks are called sourdough (Se’or), leaven (Chametz), chaff (Motz), and straw (Teven), and he must eradicate them from those flames about which it states, “The commandment (mitzvah) is a flame (Ner-נר),” and, “The soul of man is the flame of HaShem-נר יהו״ה, Who searches all the chambers of one’s innards.” By doing so, the Holy One, blessed is He, dwells there, meaning, the Name HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, and His titles, which are called His limbs, along with His myriads of camps and troops, which are the angels that are tied to that particular limb, and which guard that particular limb from all evil forces and extraneous husks of Kelipah that were residing there.",
"Different commandments are tied to different limbs. The commandments of love and fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, are dependent upon the brain and the heart. All commandments that relate to travel are dependent upon the feet, such as going to the house of prayer, to a circumcision, to perform the mitzvah of burying the dead, and any other travel associated with fulfilling a mitzvah. Similarly, there are commandments that one fulfills by standing upon his feet, such as standing during the Amidah (standing) prayer, which is tied to his two thighs and legs.",
"The commandment of circumcision (Brit Milah) is bound to the Tzaddik, who is the rainbow and sign of the covenant. The eighteen blessings of the Amidah prayer are tied to the eighteen vertebrae of the spine with which one bows and prostrates, and are bound to the Tzaddik who is called the eighteen worlds and statures of the body that prostrate to the Divine Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, the Shechinah, during prayer. That is, they are bound to the Name HaShem-יהו״ה, so that the four corresponding prostrations of the Amidah prayer are bound to the center column. The Tefillin of the hand are bound to the left hand.",
"All of the commandments that relate to action are bound to the hands, such as giving charity, tying the Tefillin, which utilizes the right hand to tie it onto the left, and acts of righteousness (Tzedakah) to the Holy One, blessed is He. The term for charity and righteousness is Tzedakah-צדקה. The Tzadi-צ-90 of Tzedakah-צדקה refers to the ninety times that a person responds “amen” daily. The Dalet-ד-4 refers to the four sanctifications (Kedusha) that one recites daily. The Kof-ק-100 refers to the 100 blessings that one recites daily. The Hey-ה-5 refers to the five books of the Torah that one should study every day. About this charity and righteousness (Tzedakah-צדקה) Torah states, “You shall surely open your hand,” and, “You shall surely give,” and, “You shall surely furnish him,” which hints at the ten types of gifts etc.",
"The Tzitzit are worn on the shoulders. The delight of Shabbat is through eating and drinking, and similarly, the sacrificial offerings (Korbanot) are consumed through the eating and drinking of the Holy One, blessed is He, as it states, “My offering, My food.” The prayers that were established corresponding to the sacrificial offerings, and over which one makes a blessing to the Holy One, blessed is He, for all that he eats and drinks, should be consumed after one concludes his prayers and not before, and they all are bound to the neck.",
"The commandment to study and teach Torah, as well as the recitation of the prayers are all related to the voice and speech, through which one calls out to the Holy One, blessed is He. The same is true of the Shema, which is to be recited twice daily, as well as all the songs, praises, and hymns of thanks to HaShem-יהו״ה, all of which are tied to the mouth. The blowing of the Shofar is tied to the lungs which blow the air and spirit through the mouth, and it is that air and spirit which activates the voice. Likewise, the rendering of all judgments is tied to speech, and also are tied to the eyes, as it states, “A judge can only render judgment based upon that which his eyes see.”",
"The sacrificial offerings, which are called “a pleasing aroma to HaShem-יהו״ה,” as well as the aromatic spices over which one makes the Havdalah, are tied to the nose. The recitation of the Shema, the commandment to hear the Shofar, and all other mitzvot about which it states that they must be heard by one’s ears to be fulfilled, are all tied to the ears. The Tefillin are also tied upon the head, and all of the mitzvot are thus intertwined with one another.",
"In the book of Zohar on Parshat Naso, it states, “Even when a person only fulfills a single mitzvah with love and fear of the Holy One, blessed is He, on account of this mitzvah the ten Sefirot dwell upon him. Whoever fulfills even a single mitzvah as fitting, it is as if he has fulfilled all 248 positive mitzvot of the Torah. This is because there is not a single mitzvah that is not intertwined with and includes all two-hundred and forty-eight positive mitzvot within it.”",
"The reward a person receives for crowning the Holy One, blessed is He, over each of his limbs, is that it is considered as if he crowned the Holy One, blessed is He, over the entire world, for man is called a microcosm of the world. Permission was not granted to reveal the reasons for the commandments-mitzvot, in order that a person should not come to serve HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, for the ulterior motive of receiving reward. Nevertheless, come and see how meritorious is the soul that is rooted in the form of her Master, and fulfills all His commandments. When such a soul ascends, all the hosts of angels ascend with her. For they are all tied to and dependent upon those commandments, fixtures, and camps of the body of the King (Goofa d’Malka). Thus, they all ascend with her and descend with her, and this soul is called the ladder (Sulam) about which it states, “There was a ladder set on the ground and its top reached the heavens, and the angels of God were ascending and descending upon it.” When that soul ascends, a voice comes down and proclaims in all the firmaments and to all the hosts and camps that are tied to that soul, “Grant honor to the form of the King.”",
"Regarding the mitzvah of the covenant of circumcision (Brit Milah), just as he removes all the husks and membranes from that organ, thus fixing it to be an abode for the Shechinah – Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He – so likewise does his soul ascend above to the Name HaShem-יהו״ה. All extraneous husks are removed from it and all angels of destruction are prevented from approaching him.",
"Similarly, just as he toils in the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments-mitzvot, which are likened to the light of a candle, this is likewise the case when he goes to that world. About this the verse states, “HaShem-יהו״ה went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light.” The word “them” in the plural, refers to the Neshamah, Ru’ach and Nefesh levels of one’s soul, which are guided by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire to lead them on the way and give them light.",
"Likewise, just as he honored the Shabbat, by resting and delighting in it in honor of the Holy One, blessed is He, so likewise he is granted a place to rest above, and he rests there from all that he toiled in this world.",
"Whoever unifies the Holy One, blessed is He, with His Indwelling Presence – the Shechinah – the Holy One, blessed is He, likewise unites him with his spouse in that world. Just as man brings the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, close to himself, so likewise, he is brought close to his spouse. Similarly, whoever makes his place of dwelling into a Holy Temple, the Holy One, blessed is He, makes a dwelling place for him in the coming world, which is the Holy of Holies, and this is where he will dwell.",
"Whoever makes a Sukkah (סוכה) for the Holy One, blessed is He, the Holy One, blessed is He, shelters him in His shade in that world, and when he departs from this world, the Holy One, blessed is He, shelters and protects him from all angels of destruction and from all accusers.",
"Whoever recites the seven blessings of the Shema recital, sanctifying HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, when he recites “Holy, Holy, Holy is HaShem Tzva’ot-יהו״ה צבאו״ת,” and whoever unifies Him in the Shema recital, he will be blessed and sanctified with ten canopies of Holy matrimony (Kiddushin) in the Garden of Eden, and will be unified with his bride.",
"When a man wraps himself in the mitzvah of the Tallit, dons Tefillin and calls to the Holy One, blessed is He, in the Shema recital, he affixes a throne for the Holy One, blessed is He, upon which He sits. So likewise, the Holy One, blessed is He, affixes a throne and crown for him in the coming world, granting him the crown of kingship (Keter Malchut), and crowns him as king over all of the angels and ministers there. Just as he brings satisfaction to his Maker with songs, praises, and gratitude, so likewise when his soul ascends above, all the angels that carry the Supernal Chariot (Merkavah) and all the camps of the Chayot, Ophanim and Seraphim angels spread their wings to receive his soul with great delight, rejoicing and song.",
"In conclusion, it is beyond the capacity of the mouth to express the full extent of his eternal reward in that world, for generation after generation. Happy is he who causes the Holy One, blessed is He, to dwell in all of his limbs and organs. For, even if a person is missing only one limb, in that it is vacant of HaShem-יהו\"ה, in that He does not dwell upon it, because of that one limb, he will be required to return to this world and reincarnate until he has perfected all of his limbs and has the full form (Tzelem) of HaShem-יהו״ה. For, even if he only lacks one, he is not in the form of HaShem-יהו\"ה.",
"In conclusion, commensurate to a person’s toil in fulfilling the mitzvot of the Holy One, blessed is He, for the sake of unifying the Holy One, blessed is He, with the Shechinah – His Indwelling Presence – so likewise, the Holy One, blessed is He, will reciprocate measure for measure with him and his spouse in the coming world."
],
[
"Gate Four",
"Regarding the punishments for bad character traits, and the reward for the acquisition of good character traits",
"Pride is the root of many sins, whether they are between man and HaShem-יהו״ה, the Ever Present One, blessed is He, or whether they are between man and his fellow. In regard to man and his fellow, this is because his arrogance will bring him to harm his fellow, in disdaining him and speak badly of him, amongst many other negative matters. Or whether between man and HaShem-יהו\"ה, as written, “and your heart will become haughty and you will forget HaShem-יהו״ה your God.” That is, because of conceit he forgets HaShem-יהו\"ה his God, greatly damaging his relationship with HaShem-יהו\"ה, the Ever Present One, blessed is He. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Whoever is haughty is called an abomination, as it states, ‘Every haughty person is an abomination to HaShem-יהו״ה.’” They also stated, “Whoever is arrogant should be excommunicated,” and, “it is fitting to hew him down as like an Asherah tree that has been designated for idolatry,” and, “his dust will not stir at the time of the resurrection of the dead,” and, “the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, the Shechinah, wails for him.” Moreover, they stated that a haughty person is equal to an idolater and to one who denies the fundamental principle of existence, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. Moreover, it is as if he transgressed every kind of forbidden relationship, and as if he built a personal altar to idolatry within himself. They further stated that even if, like our forefather Avraham, he attributes the possession of the entire heavens and earth to the Holy One, blessed is He, a haughty person will not be cleansed of the judgements of purgatory (Gehinnom). In the end he will be diminished from his haughty position and will depart from the world before his time.",
"Even about Yeravam, our Sages taught that all the Torah scholars of the generation were like the grass of the field next to him and there were no imperfections his Torah teachings. Moreover, he could expound upon Torah from one-hundred and fifty angles. Nonetheless, he was punished with excision from both this world and the coming world, only because of his arrogance. Our Sages, of blessed memory, stated that it is as if a haughty person pushes away the feet of the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, thus causing Him to withdraw from the world, as the Holy One, blessed is He, said, “He and I cannot dwell together in the world.” ",
"Such a person rebels against the Kingdom of Heaven by wrapping himself in the Tallit that belongs only to the King, King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, as it states, “HaShem-יהו״ה is King, He is clothed in pride.” After all, what does man have to be proud of? His very existence is from a putrid drop and he was formed in menstrual blood. His lifetime is one of filth and stench and upon his death he is covered with worms and maggots, until his body decays and becomes a pile of dust and his soul descends to hell.",
"In contrast, there is no greater quality than humility and a sense of lowliness. We learn this from our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, the father of all the prophets in Torah, mitzvot and fear of sin. Even so, Torah only praised him for his humility, as it states, “The man Moshe was exceedingly humble.” Go and learn the quality of humility from the Holy One, blessed is He, who set aside the loftiest heavens to dwell with the despondent and the lowly of spirit, as written, “I abide with exaltedness and in holiness, but I am with the despondent and the lowly of spirit.” Similarly, it is written, “HaShem-יהו״ה is close to the broken hearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit.” It likewise states, “Who may sojourn in Your tent? One who is lowly and contemptible in his own eyes.”",
"Now, although it is true that about fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, the verse states, “The fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, that is wisdom,” and similarly, “Fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, that is His treasure,” nevertheless, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “What wisdom proclaimed to be the crown of its head, humility made into a heel (Eikev-עקב) for its sandal, as it states, ‘The heel (Eikev-עקב) of humility is fear of HaShem-יהו״ה.’”",
"A person whose opinion of himself is that he is lowly, is as if he has offered all the sacrificial offerings, as it states, “The sacrifices that God desires are a broken spirit.” Moreover, his prayer is not despised or rejected, for, “the prayers of a person are heard only if he casts his heart like flesh, as written, ‘It shall be that at every New Moon and on every Shabbat, all flesh shall come and prostrate themselves before Me.’” It similarly is written, “It is to this that I look, to the poor and broken-spirited.”",
"Whoever is humble causes the Shechinah – the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה – to dwell upon man on earth, as it states, “Moshe approached the thick cloud where God was.” What brought him to this? His humility, as it states, “The man Moshe was exceedingly humble.”",
"It is taught, “Rabbi Pinchas ben Ya’ir would say: “The study of Torah study leads to caution. Caution leads to zeal. Zeal leads to cleanliness from sin. Cleanliness from sin leads to abstinence from indulgence. Abstinence from indulgence leads to purity. Purity leads to separation from worldliness. Separation from worldliness leads to humility etc.” Moreover, they concluded, “Humility is greatest of all, since it leads to the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh), as it states, ‘The spirit of My Lord HaShem/Elohi”m-אדנ״י יהו״ה is upon me, because HaShem-יהו״ה has anointed me to bring tidings to the humble.’”",
"It is related, “They sent a message from there: Who is destined for the coming world (Olam HaBa)? One who is humble and kneels down, bowing when he enters and bowing when he exits, and reviews the words of Torah constantly without giving credit to himself.” About such a person it states, “In the future, the Holy One, blessed is He, will be a crown on the head of every single righteous man, as it states, ‘On that day, HaShem of Hosts-HaShem Tzva’ot-יהו״ה צבאו״ת will be a crown of delight and a diadem of glory.’ One might think this extends to everyone who is righteous. The verse therefore continues, ‘for the remnant of his people,’ meaning, for whoever sees himself as a remnant.”",
"In Zohar Parshat Shelach it states, “The head of the academy began and said: Happy is he who makes himself small in this world. How great will he be in the coming world! One who is small in his own eyes is great, and one who is great in his own eyes is small!” It similarly states in Zohar Terumah, “Why is he called Yechezkel the son of Buzi (בוזי)? Because [for the sake of HaShem-יהו\"ה] he was willing to disgrace himself (Mevazeh-מבזה) in relation to those greater than himself and on account of this, he is called, “Son of man-Ben Adam-בן אדם,” a term indicating his perfection over all others of his generation. He thus is also called “exalted-Ram-רם,” as it states [about Elihu], “The son of Barachel, the Buzi (הבוזי) from the house of Ram (רם),” indicating his greatness over everyone because of his great humility.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Why are the words of Torah compared to water? To teach us that just as water comes from a high place and only descends to a lower place, so too, Torah only dwells upon one who is lowly of spirit.” Happy is the man who does not become agitated and whose spirit is very lowly and humble, as the verse states, “The sacrifices that God desires are a broken spirit.” Happy is the man who is long-patient and bears everything for the will of his Creator, and who makes himself like a remnant, as the verse states, “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and overlooking transgression for the remnant of His heritage,” meaning, for whoever sees himself as a remnant. Happy is the man who makes himself like the dust that is trampled by everyone, who is like the lower stoop that is stepped on by all, and like the lowest peg upon which all depend.",
"",
"Anger is a branch of pride and is equal to it. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Whoever is angry, all kinds of punishments of purgatory (Gehinnom) rule over him.” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “A person who rends his garments in anger, or breaks his vessels in anger, or scatters his money in his anger, should be regarded like an idolator in your eyes, as it states, ‘You shall not have an alien god within you.’”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Whoever is angry, indicates that he has no thought of HaShem’s-יהו״ה Indwelling Presence (the Shechinah) and he forgets his Torah learning and increases in folly. Moreover, it is known that his sins are more numerous than his merits, as it states, ‘A man of wrath is full of iniquity.’” Our sages, of blessed memory, similarly stated, “Anyone who becomes angry; if he is a scholar, his wisdom departs from him, as we learn from Moshe and Elisha.” Likewise, Eliyahu who is remembered for good, told Rabbi Yehudah, “Do not get angry and you will not sin.”",
"Similarly, Zohar states in Parshat Tetzaveh, “An angry person uproots his holy soul and replaces it with the opposite of holiness (Sitra Achara). Such a person rebels against his Maker and it is forbidden to come close and attach oneself to him. About him the verse states, ‘You who rips your soul apart in your anger,’ and he causes an alien god to dwell within him. Such a person is considered as if he built a personal altar to idolatry within himself, and therefore, whoever adheres to him, it is considered as if he has attached himself to actual idolatry, since idolatry dwells within this person. It is forbidden to look at the face of a person who is angry and about this the verse states, ‘Do not turn to gods that are nothingness,’ and, ‘You shall not make molten gods for yourselves.’”",
"This sin is worse than all others, for all other sins and contaminations, except for this, are refinable and reparable. It is the worst because through it, he contaminates his body, both from within and without, and his soul becomes entirely contaminated. Even when such a person completely repents and uproots this alien contamination from himself forever, and then comes to purify himself and become holy, may it only be that he should merit to draw forth his holy soul in himself and become holy again. For, no matter how much he toils in good deeds, he can never return his soul to its original perfection and holiness.",
"",
"Pedantry is a branch of arrogance and anger. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Whoever is intolerant, they are intolerant with him.” Such a person is not forgiven for his sins, as they taught, “It is written, ‘He pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression.’ For whom does He pardon iniquity and overlook transgression? For a person who overlooks his reckonings with others, for the slights and injustices that they perpetrated against him.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “One should plead for mercy every day, and that he should have no enemies.” It is written, “Let him put his mouth to the dust… Let him offer his cheek to he who smites him, let him be filled with disgrace.” Happy is he who hears his disgrace and does not respond. Isaiah the Prophet thus stated, “I submitted my body to those who smite and my cheeks to those who pluck; I did not hide my face from humiliation and spit.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, thus stated, “Whoever overlooks his reckonings with others for slights and injustices that were perpetrated against him, is himself forgiven for all his sins, as written, ‘He pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression.’”",
"In Chupat Eliyahu it states, “There are three that the Holy One, blessed is He, loves: One who does not get angry; one who does not get drunk; and one who is forgiving.” Rabbi Akiva asked Rabbi Nechunya the Great, “In the merit of what virtue were you blessed with longevity?” He replied, “In all my days I never accepted gifts, nor was I inflexible and intolerant by exacting retribution against those who wronged me.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Rav Huna, the son of Rav Yehoshua, became sick etc. Upon his recovery they asked him, ‘What did you see when you were hovering between life and death?’ He replied, ‘I was indeed close to death, but the Holy One, blessed is He, said: Since he does not insist on his rights, do not be exacting with him, as written, ‘He pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression.’’” Our sages, of blessed memory, related that there were diggers who were digging on Rav Nachman’s land and came upon the grave of Rav Achai bar Yoshiya, who was fully preserved, and he rebuked them. When Rav Nachman came and asked him how it was that he was preserved, he answered that it was because in all his days he did not stand on his rights against those who trespassed against him, and he never was begrudging or envious of his fellows, as the verse states, “Envy causes the rotting of bones.”",
"Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, related, “There was an incident in which Rabbi Eliezer descended before the ark to serve as the prayer leader, but he was not answered. Rabbi Akiva descended before the ark after him, and was answered. The sages whispered amongst themselves about this, and a Supernal voice (Bat Kol) emerged and said, ‘It is not because this one is greater than that one, but because this one is tolerant and forgiving and that one is intolerant and unforgiving.’”",
"The sages, of blessed memory, also said, “The world is only sustained in the merit of those who muzzle (Bolem-בולם) their mouths in a time of quarrel, as written, ‘He hangs the earth upon nothingness (Blimah-בלימה).’ Rabbi Avahu said, this refers to a person who makes himself as if he is nothingness.” The Rabbis taught, “Regarding those who are insulted but do not insult, who hear themselves shamed but do not respond, the verse states, ‘Those who love Him are like the sun as it goes forth in its might.’”",
"Father Eliyahu, who is remembered for good, said, “The knowledge of Torah is revealed only to one who is not intolerant, and I too will not be revealed except to one who is not intolerant.”",
"Depression obstructs one’s service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, and the fulfillment of His mitzvot. It obstructs one’s involvement in Torah study and having proper devotional intent in prayer and negates his good and positive thoughts to serve HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. It is the gateway through which the evil inclination entices and turns a person away from serving HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, even if he is a righteous Tzaddik, by making it appear to him, that because of his suffering, his service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, is ineffectual.",
"Moreover, the evil inclination will even come under the guise of piety and tell him, “How can it even enter your mind that you, who are nothing but dust, worms and maggots, can come close and be sanctified in the holiness of the King of the world! Does not the verse state, ‘For a fool wisdom is unattainable?’” Moreover, the evil inclination says, “Even if you attain righteousness, does it not say, ‘If you are righteous, what have you given Him?’” In addition, depression causes the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) to depart from him.",
"The opposite is true when one serves HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, with joy, as it states, “Serve HaShem-יהו״ה with joy.” For joy increases one’s desire and love of adhering to HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, as written, “Because you did not serve HaShem-יהו״ה your God with joy and gladness of heart etc.” For, a person who serves HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, with melancholy, is likened to a servant who serves his master with a sullen and annoyed face.",
"It is likewise written, “The blessing of HaShem-יהו״ה is what enriches, and sadness (Etzev-עצב) does not increase it.” For, sadness is drawn from the contamination of Sama’el and the snake, who infected Adam and Chavah with it, as it states about Adam, “With sadness (Eetzavon-עצבון) you shall eat of it all the days of your life,” and about Chava it states, “I will greatly increase your sadness (Eetzavon-עצבון)… with sadness (b’Etzev-בעצב) you shall bear children.”",
"On account of this, the Holy One, blessed is He, and His Indwelling Presence, the Shechinah, withdraw from him. Proof of this is our forefather Yaakov, the choicest of the forefathers, from whom the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) departed for a period of twenty-two years when Yosef was separated from him and he assumed that he had been devoured by a wild animal. However, when he rejoiced over the tidings that Yosef was alive, the verse states, “The spirit of Yaakov was revived,” that is, the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) returned and rested upon him.",
"Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, taught that the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, (the Shechinah) and the spirit of Prophecy, do not dwell in a place of sadness. We thus find that it says about Elisha and the students of the prophets, “As the musician played, the spirit of HaShem-יהו״ה came upon him,” and it states, “When you arrive at the city, you will encounter a group of prophets coming down from the high place, and leading them will be players of lyre, drum, flute and harp, and they will be prophesying.”",
"Even when serving HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, in the performance of any mitzvah or in prayer, one must be in an ultimate state of joy. This can be seen from Abaye, who was sitting before his teacher Rabbah and was excessively joyful, and when questioned about his joy, he said, “I now am donned in Tefillin.” It is similarly related that, “Rav Bruna was a great man who rejoiced in the mitzvot. Once, through juxtaposing the blessing of redemption (Ge’ulah) to the Amidah prayer, a smile did not depart from his mouth for that entire day.”",
"Hatred brings a person to sin against his fellow man, by inflicting all types of evil upon him. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Hating the creatures removes a person from the world,” for by doing so, it is as if he harbors hatred of their Creator, the Holy One, blessed is He, who created him, for are we not all children to HaShem-יהו״ה our God? Moreover, by hating another Jew, it is as if he also hates Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, from whom this person came forth. All souls are bound to the Name HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, and each has an extremely lofty purpose, namely that through them HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, will be glorified. This being so, how can anyone hate his fellow?",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, related that during the period of the second Holy Temple, there were many righteous Tzaddikim and Torah Scholars. Nonetheless, the Holy Temple was destroyed only because of the sin of baseless hatred. They likewise said that the exile was lengthened and its end was concealed solely due to baseless hatred. Furthermore, in regard to all other sins, a person is only in a state of transgression when he actively violates them, whereas baseless hatred is a constant transgression that one carries in his heart. Therefore, he is in violation of the negative mitzvah, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart” and negates the positive mitzvah of, “You shall love your fellow as yourself,” at every moment.",
"Furthermore, about the mitzvah of loving one’s fellow Jew, they stated, “This is a great principle that includes the entire Torah in it,” for everything depends on it. Our teacher Moshe only merited attaining all of his wondrous and exalted levels because of his great love of Israel and because he was pained by their suffering, as our sages, of blessed memory, said about the verse, “He saw their burdens,” and about the verse, “Now, if You would but forgive their sin – but if not, erase me now from Your book that You have written.” On account of this, he was equated to the entire Jewish people, as written, “They remembered the days of old, of Moshe, His people.”",
"Envy brings a person to hatred and is actually even worse than hatred, since by being envious, he rebels against the Holy One, blessed is He, by saying to himself, “Why has the Holy One, blessed is He, bestowed more goodness to my fellow than to me?” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Envy, lust, and [the desire for] honor, remove a person from the world.”",
"Study and you will see that all the ancients were punished solely on account of their envy. Cain, who spoke with HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, mouth to mouth, was excised from the world along with his descendants, because he was envious of his brother Abel’s twin sister. As a result of his jealousy he came to transgress all his sins. Similarly, the ten tribes of Israel were exiled to Egypt because Joseph’s brothers envied him. Ultimately, they were further punished with the incident the ten martyrs. Yeravam, before whom all the Torah scholars of the generation were like grass of the field, was excised from the world solely because he envied the kingdom of the House of David.",
"Even Shaul, the chosen one of HaShem-יהו״ה, who as taught by our sages, of blessed memory, was as pure as a one-year-old child who has never tasted sin and whose ancestry and kingship were free of flaw, was excised from his kingship and killed along with his three sons, for having caused the people of Nov, the city of the Priests, to be killed, for having caused the exile of the Jewish people amongst the Philistines, and for having caused the destruction of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) at Shiloh, all of which were brought about because he envied David regarding the matter of Goliath. This caused the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) to withdraw from him, which was replaced by a spirit of distortion (Ru’ach Eeveem) that rested upon him.",
"Moshiach, the son of David, will not come until the spirit of envy is removed, as written, “The jealousy of Ephraim shall cease and the oppressors of Yehudah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Yehudah and Yehudah will not harass Ephraim.” Moreover, even the Supernal angels fell from their holiness as the result of envy, as written in Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, that the angel Sama’el was greater than all the Seraphim angels, in that they only had six wings, whereas he had twelve wings. He nonetheless was uprooted from the side of holiness because he was envious of man. The same is said of the Nefillim angels, Aza and Aza’el, who were excised from the world because they were jealous of man.",
"The bones of whoever possesses envy shall rot. It therefore is appropriate for a person to be happy with his lot, even if it is small. For, he is certainly no better than Hillel the Elder, Rabbi Chaninah ben Dosa, Rabbi Yehuda bar Ila’i, Rabbi Elazar ben Pedat, and others like them.",
"Greed is the father of all impurity. It brings to hatred and envy, as well as theft, false oaths and even murder. This prohibition is the last of the Ten Commandments and is equal to them all, since “his eye is never sated with wealth,” like the eye of the snake, about whom it states, “The food of the snake shall be dust.” Similarly, it is written, “One who is overeager for wealth has an evil eye, he does not know that want may befall him.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Lust removes a person from the world,” since it causes his mind to be preoccupied and distracted, thus uprooting him from studying HaShem’s-יהו\"ה Torah and fulfilling His mitzvot. Moreover, he denies HaShem’s-יהו״ה Divine Providence, in that he does not believe that everything comes about according to HaShem’s-יהו״ה Supernal will and supervision, blessed is He. As our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Whoever has bread in his basket and says to himself, ‘What will I eat tomorrow,’ has little faith. About such a person the verse states, ‘For who wastes the day? Small things.’ That is, what is it that causes the reward of the righteous to be wasted from the coming future? It is their small-mindedness and their smallness of faith in the Holy One, blessed is He.”",
"In contrast, there is no greater quality than trust in HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, as written, “Happy are all who trust in Him.” A person who has this quality is faithful that there is a God in the world, who is all-capable and supervises over everything. It thus is written, “Blessed is the man who trusts in HaShem-יהו״ה, HaShem-יהו״ה will be his security.” Such a person is certain that he will not lack sustenance, as written, “Cast your burden upon HaShem-יהו״ה and He will sustain you.” However, this applies on condition that his trust in HaShem-יהו״ה is truly sincere, with all his heart and without doubt. This is evident by the fact that if he truly trusts in HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, he will occupy himself in studying His Torah and fulfilling His mitzvot with all his heart and without any misgivings.",
"Lust for pleasure is worse than all the negative traits mentioned above. For, if a person is gluttonous, he will come to fall to greed, theft, false oaths, hatred of the creatures and envy. Such a person is like Esav, who said, “Please pour some of that red red stuff into me.” About such a person it states, “If you care for your soul, it would be better for you to put a knife to your throat.” For out of gluttony he will eventually come to eat the meat of an animal that died without being slaughtered (Neveilah) or that has been slaughtered improperly (Treifah) and all other kinds of forbidden foods. Similarly, it is written, “All man’s toil is for his mouth,” and it states, “The stomach of the wicked will always be lacking.”",
"It likewise is written, “Yeshurun became fat and kicked. You became fat, you became thick, you became corpulent. He deserted God, his Maker and scorned the Rock of his salvation.” That is, this negative trait brings a person to deny HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, as the verse states, “Lest I become sated and deny, saying, ‘Who is HaShem-יהו״ה?’”",
"Furthermore, in regard to all other sins, a minor is not punished, however, in the case of the rebellious son, if he steals and eats a tartimer of meat and a half log of wine, he is stoned to death. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The wicked are accustomed to eat meat and drink wine, saying, ‘Come, I will fetch wine and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like today etc.’” However, about this it is written, “Until the day of your death you will not be atoned of this sin.” Eliyahu, who is remembered for good, said to Rabbi Yehudah, “Do not get drunk and you will not sin.”",
"In contrast, a person who suffices with what is necessary for him is called a righteous Tzaddik, as scripture states, “A righteous person eats to satisfy his soul.” Similarly, King David said, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, so that I might learn Your statutes.” We likewise find that our forefather Yaakov only requested the following, “Give me bread to eat and clothes to wear.” It is likewise written, “Yissachar is a strong-boned donkey… he bent his shoulder to bear.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Such is the way of [the life] of Torah: You shall eat bread with salt and drink rationed water; you shall sleep on the ground and your life will be one of privation, and you shall labor in Torah. If you do this, ‘You shall be happy and it shall be good for you.’ That is, ‘You shall be happy’ in this world, ‘and it shall be good for you’ in the coming world.” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The words of Torah are only sustained in one who kills himself over them.” They also said, “Whoever increases his flesh, increases his maggots.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “A person should always consider himself as if holiness dwells in his bowels, as written, ‘Holiness is in your innards.’” Our teacher, Moshe, peace be upon him, only merited receiving the Torah after having fasted for forty days and forty nights. Similarly, Eliyahu the Prophet, who is remembered for good, only merited ascending the heights after he fasted for forty days and forty nights. Likewise, Rabbi Elazar, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Yishmael only merited all the wondrous wisdom and prophecy they attained when they ascended to the Pardes, after having fasted for many days and through all kinds of self-flagellation and abstention. Similarly, King Solomon, about whom it states that, “He was wiser than all men,” only merited to such wisdom after fasting for forty days and forty nights, as our Sages explained about the large letter Mem-מ of the opening word of Proverbs-Mishlei-משלי.",
"It states in Zohar that when Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai came out of the cave, Rabbi Pinchas ben Ya’ir saw that his body was completely covered with blisters. He cried and said, “Woe is me, that I have seen you in such agony!” Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai answered him, “Great is your merit that you have seen me in such agony, for had you not seen me like this, I would not have merited to all that I merited.”",
"In Zohar Terumah it states, “The spirit of impurity has no dominion over the bodies of the righteous Tzaddikim who, in this world, were not drawn after the pleasures and lusts of that extraneous husk (Kelipah). For, they have not pleasured themselves in this world at all, except for fulfilling the mitzvah of pleasure on Shabbat and Biblical Festivals. The spirit of impurity thus has no dominion or hold on them at all, since they have not derived any pleasure whatsoever from that which is the opposite Holiness (Sitra Achara). However, about a person who did derive pleasure from the opposite the Holiness (Sitra Achara) during the mundane days of the week, the verse states, ‘I will smear dung upon your faces, the dung of your festive offerings, and you shall be carried out to its heap.’”",
"It was taught in the School of Eliyahu, “If a person has not yet merited to plead for mercy from HaShem-יהו״ה that Torah should be in his innards, he should at least plead for mercy that excess food and drink should not enter his innards.”",
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"Power and honor are extremely problematic, as they bring a person to haughtiness, which is worse than all the above-mentioned negative qualities. As a result of it, he becomes a leader who casts excessive fear on the community, in a manner that is not for the sake of the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה. As our sages, of blessed memory said, in the end he will be uprooted from the world and his children will be completely unsuccessful after him.",
"We find this about the great sage, Yeravam, that because he sought power, both he and his descendants were uprooted from this world, nor does he have a portion in the coming world. Similarly, when Shaul, the chosen one of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, began his reign, he was as pure as a one-year-old child who has never tasted sin. Moreover, as the verse attests, when they sought to crown him as king, “He hid amongst the baggage,” in that he fled from power. Nevertheless, he was ultimately caught in its net and pursued it, as he said to the Prophet Shmuel, “Please honor me in the presence of the elders of my people.” In the end he lost the kingdom and he was killed along with three of his sons, as mentioned before in the section on envy.",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Envy, lust, and [the desire for] honor, remove a person from the world.” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Authority shortens the life of those who possess it and buries them.” This is because it causes one’s heart to be haughty with his Maker, as the verse states, “So that his heart should not become exalted above his brethren and so that he will not depart from the commandment, neither to the right nor to the left, so that his years will be prolonged over his kingdom, he and his sons in the midst of Israel.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, said, “When Rava would go out to judge, he would say, ‘I willingly go out to die etc.’” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The verse states, ‘My son, if you have been a guarantor for your fellow etc.’ Rav Huna explained that this refers to a person who was appointed to a position of authority over the masses. However, the next verse continues, ‘You have been trapped by the words of your mouth, snared by the words of your mouth. Do this, therefore, my child, and be rescued; for you have come into your fellow’s hand. Go humble yourself etc.’” However, if he does not, about him the verse states, “One who commits adultery with a married woman lacks an understanding heart, he who destroys his own soul will do this,” and they have no mercy upon him in purgatory (Gehinnom).",
"The Holy One, blessed is He, said, “I am holy, I am pious, I am upright etc. If you possess all these qualities, you can accept a position of power and authority, but if not, do not accept it.” King David, peace be upon him, said, “HaShem-יהו״ה, my heart was not proud and my eyes were not haughty, nor did I pursue matters too great and too wondrous for me. I swear that I stilled and silenced my soul, like a suckling child at his mother’s side, my soul is like a suckling child.”",
"Therefore, flee from power and authority to the opposite extreme, as I explained at length when discussing the quality of pride. For, Zohar states, “One who makes himself small in this world is meritorious.” Is there anyone greater than Moshe, the teacher of all Israel, who for seven days refused the authority placed upon him by the Holy One, blessed is He, and did not desire it, saying, “Please, my Lord, send through whomever You will send!” About him the verse attests, “The wrath of HaShem-יהו״ה burned against Moshe,” to the point that he was adversely affected by it, as our sages, of blessed memory, explained. He subsequently assumed the responsibility, but in the end was punished because of the Jewish people at the waters of strife, and all of his merits did not suffice to help him.",
"For, whoever exerts power and authority over the congregation, even if it is for the sake of Heaven, like Moshe, will ultimately be punished. For, he is responsible for all their deeds, as our sages, of blessed memory, stated in explanation of the verse, “I will place them upon your heads.” How much more so does this certainly apply to orphans such as ourselves, for whom there would be no hope of salvation, God forbid.",
"Boastfulness is a quality about which our sages, of blessed memory, related about the woman who was punished in purgatory (Gehinnom) because she told her friend, “Today I fasted etc.” That is, when a person boasts of his righteousness, not only does he not receive reward, but on the contrary, he is judged with the punishments of purgatory (Gehinnom). For, by boasting, he reveals his true intentions and that his actions are not at all for the sake of Heaven. He is counted amongst the seven categories of the pseudo-righteous (Parushim) who erode the world, such as those who practice self-flagellation and blood-letting etc.",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “A person should always be in a state of fear of Heaven, even in private, and all his ways should be for the sake of Heaven.” If a person is able, he should conduct himself in all his deeds and ways for the sake of Heaven, without revealing any of it to the creatures. His reward will be doubled and quadrupled, as the verse states, “It is the honor of God to conceal a matter.”"
],
[
"Gate Five",
"Forbidden Traits",
"Evil speech is a quality about which our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “There are three transgressions that bring retribution against the one who perpetrates them in this world and disinherit him from a share in the coming world. These are idolatry, forbidden relations, and murder, but evil speech outweighs them all.” Our sages, of blessed memory, also stated, “Whoever speaks with an evil tongue denies the fundamental principle of the existence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, as written, ‘Those who said, ‘Because of our tongues we shall prevail, our lips are with us, who is master over us?’’”",
"Gossip kills three people and is equal to murder, and on account of it, one is barred from entry into the Garden of Eden. This is as written, “HaShem-יהו״ה, who may sojourn in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your Holy Mountain? One who walks in perfect innocence and does what is right, and who speaks the truth from his heart; who has no gossip on his tongue etc.” We see that Doeg the Edomite was one of the mighty shepherds of Israel and the head of the Sanhedrin. However, because of his gossip he was excised from the coming world, was killed having lived only half his days, and caused the people of Nov, the city of the Priests, to be killed, as well as the death of Shaul and his household.",
"Causing embarrassment, calling one’s fellow by a negative nickname and glorying in the downfall one’s fellow cause a person to descend to purgatory and never ascend, having no share in the coming world. These are included in the commandment, “You shall not murder.” This is as our sages, of blessed memory, taught, “Whoever humiliates another in public, it is as though he is spilling his blood. Over what mitzvah are they particularly vigilant in the West? In refraining from causing the color to leave a person’s face, so that his face becomes pale.”",
"Levity is one of the four classes of traits that prevent a person from receiving the countenance of the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He – the Shechinah. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Whoever acts with levity falls into purgatory (Gehinnom).” Likewise, our sages, of blessed memory, stated that even if a person sits idly and not engaging in Torah study, it is considered as if he is sitting with the frivolous who have contempt for Torah, as it states, “Praiseworthy is the man who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked and did not stand in the path of the sinful and did not sit in the gathering of the frivolous.” The very next verse continues and states, “But his desire is in the Torah of HaShem-יהו״ה, and in His Torah he meditates day and night.” It continues, “He shall be like a tree planted alongside brooks of water, that yields its fruit in its season and whose leaf never withers; and everything that he does will succeed. Not so the wicked; Rather they are like the chaff that the wind drives away etc.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Every day, a Heavenly voice (Bat Kol) goes forth from Mount Chorev and proclaims, ‘Woe to the creatures for their contempt of Torah.’ For, whosoever does not occupy himself in the study of Torah is called censured-Nazuf, meaning excommunicated from Heaven. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The following verse applies to such a person, ‘For he had contempt the word of HaShem-יהו״ה and violated His commandment, that soul shall surely be cut off – his sin is upon him.’ Rabbi Nechemiah says: This refers to anyone who is able to engage in Torah study but fails to do so.” Similarly, “Rav said: “Whoever excuses himself from studying the words of Torah, a fire consumes him.” Likewise, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Whoever weakens or stops his study of words of Torah to engage in idle chatter, will be fed the hot coals of a Juniper tree, as written, ‘They pluck saltwort and the leaves of wormwood and the roots of the Juniper tree is their bread.’” Our sages, of blessed memory, likewise stated, “One who turns his heart to idle matters is mortally guilty,” as written, “Only beware for yourself and greatly beware for your soul, lest you forget the words that your eyes have beheld and lest you remove them from your heart all the days of your life etc.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The beginning of a person’s judgment is that he is judged only concerning the study of Torah, as written, ‘Exemption from waters is the beginning of judgment.’” Similarly, it is written, “This Book of the Torah shall not leave from your mouth; you shall contemplate it day and night, so that you may guard yourself to do according to all that is written in it; for then your way will be successful, and then you will be wise.” About each moment, hour or day that a person is idle from studying the words of Torah, it is written, “Crookedness that cannot be straightened, lacking that is incalculable.”",
"On the other hand, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “These are the things, the fruits of which a person enjoys in this world, while the principle remains for the coming world; honoring one’s father and mother, doing deeds of kindness, early attendance in the house of study morning and evening, welcoming guests, visiting the sick, dowering a bride, escorting the dead, concentration in prayer, bringing peace between man and his fellow and between husband and wife. But the study of Torah is equal to them all.” Moreover, whoever is engaged in Torah study is exempt from all the commandments, since it equals all the commandments.",
"It was taught in the school of Eliyahu, who is remembered for good, “Happy is the man who subjugates himself to Torah study, like an ox to a yoke and like a donkey to a burden, sitting and studying and reviewing Torah every day constantly. The Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) will immediately rest upon him.” If this is the case, that when a person sits idly he is punished to such a great degree, then how much greater is the punishment of a person who actually behaves with levity and disdain toward Torah.",
"Idle chatter leads to very great sins. For, even when he merely sits idly it is considered as though he sits with the frivolous who have contempt for Torah, and he is punished with very great punishments, as we mentioned before regarding the matter of levity and mockery. This being so, how much more is this true of one who actually engages in empty chatter. Moreover, this brings him to come to speak badly of others, to gossip, slander and mock others.",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “One who engages in idle chatter violates a positive commandment, as written, ‘You shall speak of them,’ referring to words of Torah, rather than other matters.” It was said about Rabbi Yochanan ben Zachai, that in all his days he never engaged in idle conversation. Our sages, of blessed memory, likewise coined this adage, “If a word is worth one sela, silence is worth two.” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “In all my days I grew up among the sages and I found nothing better for a person than silence.” It is written, “Let one sit in solitude and be silent,” and it states, “Death and life are in the hands of the tongue.” Our sages, of blessed memory, also said, “The guardrail of wisdom is silence.” King Solomon said, “Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty in uttering a word before God; for God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The verse states, ‘Is there truly (HaUmnam-האמנם) silence (Eilem-אלם) when you should be speaking righteousness?’ That is, in what skill (Umanut-אמנות) should a person toil in this world? He should toil in making himself as if he is mute (Eelem-אלם).” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “When the Master would read the following verse, he would cry. The verse states, ‘For behold, He Who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his speech.’ This even includes the lighthearted and frivolous speech between a man and his wife before engaging in relations. Even if they are completely insignificant, they nevertheless written into a person’s ledger and read before him at the time of his death.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “One’s silence leads to humility,” and humility the chief quality that leads to fear of Heaven. Thus, when engaging in the study of Torah, he should be silent and glue his lips together, like two millstones that sit upon each other. This is because all the righteousness and meritoriousness a person accrues are insufficient from saving him from what comes out of his lips. Happy is he who makes himself as if mute and like a deaf person, like a cripple and one who is blind! Why is it imperative to take such great care? So that he should not come to sin and obligate himself and his limbs, thus condemning himself to purgatory (Gehinnom). Similarly, King David said, “I am like a deaf man, I do not hear, like a mute who does not open his mouth.”",
"In Zohar it states, “There is not a single breath that does not possess a voice and create a spirit. All the words that a person speaks which are not for the sake of serving the Holy One, blessed is He, create a spirit that carries and travels around in the world and when the soul leaves him upon death, that spirit is hurled at him in the torments of the grave, like a stone flung from a slingshot (Kaf HaKela). This is the meaning of the verse, ‘may He hurl away the soul of your enemies as one shoots a stone from a slingshot (Kaf HaKela).’” It also states in Zohar, “From the verse, ‘And Esther donned royal garments,’ we learn that any person who guards his mouth and tongue, merits to don the garment of the spirit of holiness and Divine Inspiration (Ru’ach HaKodesh).’”",
"",
"One who gazes at women, even if he literally is equal in stature to Moshe, he will not be cleansed of the judgments of purgatory (Gehinnom). In the end he will come to sin with forbidden relations. He rouses the lusts of his evil inclination within himself, and will ultimately come to wasteful seminal emissions, the gravity of which will be explained in the sixth gate.",
"One who derives benefit from the honor of the Torah removes his life from the world and is liable of the death penalty. The incident with Rabbi Tarfon proves this. Namely, “A certain man found Rabbi Tarfon eating figs when most of the knives had already been set aside. He placed Rabbi Tarfon in a sack, lifted him up and carried him to throw him into the river. Rabbi Tarfon cried out and said, ‘Woe to Tarfon, for this man is killing him.’ When the man heard that it was Rabbi Tarfon, he left him and ran away. Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Chananiyah ben Gamliel: All the days of that righteous man he was distressed over this matter, saying, ‘Woe is me, for I made use of the crown of Torah.’” As our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Do not make them into a crown for self-exaltation, nor a spade with which to dig… Whoever derives worldly benefit from the words of Torah, removes his life from the world.” In the end, such a person inherits purgatory (Gehinnom).",
"Falsehood. A person who speaks falsehood denies the God of Israel, giving credence to another god, called falsehood. A person such as this is in the category of those who shall not greet the countenance of the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, the Shechinah. This is as stated, “One who tells lies shall not be established before My eyes.” A person such as this is not considered to be included amongst the Jewish people, about whom it is written, “The remnant of Israel will not commit corruption, they will not speak falsehood, and a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouth,” and the lifespan of such a person will be shortened.",
"In contrast, one who speaks truthfully lengthens his lifespan, as stated in Tractate Sanhedrin about Rav Tavyomee that, “Even if they were to give him the entire world, his words would not deviate from the truth. Rava said: “Once, I happened to come to a certain place called Truth, the inhabitants of which never deviated from truth in their words, and no one ever died prematurely there. I married a woman there and she bore me two sons.” One day his wife was sitting and washing her hair and her neighbor came and knocked on the door. He thought, ‘It is improper to say that she is bathing,’ and he instead said, ‘She is not here.’ Because of this, his two sons died. The people of the place came and asked him, “What is the meaning of this?” He answered, explaining the nature of the incident. They said, “Please leave our place and do not provoke premature death upon these people.”",
"It is written, “Each man lies to his fellow and they do not speak truth; they train their tongue to speak falsehood, striving to be iniquitous. Your dwelling is amid deceit; because of their deceit they refuse to know Me – the word of HaShem-יהו״ה. Therefore, thus said HaShem Tzva’ot-יהו״ה צבאו״ת, I shall smelt them and I shall test them – for what [else] can I do for the daughter of My people? Their tongue is like a drawn arrow, speaking deceit; with his mouth a person speaks peace with his fellow, but within himself, he lays his ambush. Shall I not punish them for these things? – the word of HaShem-יהו״ה. From a nation such as this, shall My soul not exact vengeance?”",
"The spies and the generation of the desert were only punished because of false testimony. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Whoever speaks deceitfully, it is as though he worships idolatry.” It is written, “HaShem-יהו״ה hates these six, but the seventh is the abomination of His soul. Haughty eyes, a false tongue and hands that spill innocent blood. A heart that plots iniquitous thoughts, feet that run to do evil, a false witness who spouts lies, and one who stirs up strife among brothers.” The verse states, “They do not speak truth… Shall I not punish them for these things?” It also is written, “Who is the man who desires life, who loves days of seeing good? Guard your tongue from speaking evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.”",
"Gechazi was only punished because he lied in the name of Elisha. Amnon deceived Tamar, which led to him being killed. The spirit of Navot was sent out from before the Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, because he spoke deceitfully, as it states, “And HaShem-יהו״ה said, ‘Who will lure Achav to go up [to war] that he may fall in Ramoth-Gilead?’ This one said, ‘Like this’ and this one said, ‘Like this!’ Then a spirit came forward and stood before HaShem-יהו״ה and said, ‘I shall lure him!’ And HaShem-יהו״ה said, ‘How?’ [The spirit] replied, ‘I will go out and be a spirit of falsehood in the mouths of all his prophets.’ He said, ‘You will lure him and you will succeed. Go out (Tzei-צא) and do so!’” What is the meaning of the term “Go out-Tzei-צא?” It means, “Get out of My presence!”",
"Rav Huna said, “The Jewish people were only exiled from their land because they transgressed the verse, ‘Distance yourself from a false word.’” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Jerusalem was not destroyed until trustworthy men ceased to exist in it, as it states, ‘Walk about in the streets of Jerusalem, see now and know, and seek in its plazas; if you will find a man, if there is one who dispenses justice and seeks truth, then I will forgive her.’”",
"It states in Zohar, “About a time in which the Jewish people speak falsely about the Torah of Truth, the verse states, ‘Truth was hurled to the ground.’ It is about such a time of exile that the verse states, ‘Truth became lacking,’ and falsehood reigns in the world. What is falsehood? That is Sama’el. This is what caused the destruction of both the first and second Holy Temples.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The world stands on three things: On Justice, Truth and Peace.” It is written, “Who may sojourn in Your tent? One who speaks the truth in his heart.” That is, even when it comes to matters that he only thought in his heart, he must bring forth into action and actualize them truthfully, in accordance what our sages, of blessed memory, taught regarding the incident with Rav Safra. It is written, “The Torah of Truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips… for he is an angel of HaShem Tzva’ot-יהו״ה צבאו״ת.”",
"The flatterer is amongst the four classes of people who shall not greet the countenance of the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He (the Shechinah). This is because he denigrates the honor of the Ever Present One, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, when he cajoles and flatters the wicked. This is as written, “One who tells a wicked person, ‘You are righteous,’ – the peoples shall curse him, the nations shall despise him.” Even if he flatters and cajoles a person who is not wicked, it nevertheless is as if he fears man and places his trust in man, as it is written, “Accursed is the man who puts his trust in people.” Regarding such a person the verse states, “The flatterer shall not come before Him.”",
"This accords with what our sages, of blessed memory, stated about the incident with King Yanai, that because the sages of the court of the Sanhedrin flattered and yielded to him in a minor way by not forcing him to stand during judgment, the angel Gavriel came and struck them to the ground and they died. Similarly, when they flattered King Agrippa, who was righteous, the enemies of the Jewish people were sentenced to destruction.",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The Holy One, blessed is He, hates three types of people: One who says one thing with his mouth but thinks another in his heart etc.” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Any person who has flattery in him falls into purgatory (Gehinnom), as written, ‘Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,’ the continuation of which states, ‘Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours straw, and as chaff is consumed by the flame, so will their root become rot and their flower will be blown away like dust etc.’”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Any congregation in which there is flattery is as repulsive as a menstruating woman, as is stated, ‘A flattering congregation will be forlorn.’” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Any Torah scholar whose inside is not like his outside is not a Torah scholar and is called a loathsome abomination.” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Any person who has flattery in him brings wrath to the world, as stated, ‘Those with flattery in their hearts bring about wrath.’ Moreover, his prayers are despised and are not heard.” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Any person who has flattery in him, even fetuses in their mothers’ wombs curse him.” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated about the sin of flattery, that it will cause a person to fall into the hands of his enemies, as it states, “I shall send them against a flattering people.”",
"Flattery and hypocrisy are just as bad as idolatry, forbidden relations, adultery and murder. From where do we learn that it is equal to idolatry? From the verse, “For the vile person speaks villainy and his heart plans iniquity, to act with hypocrisy and to speak falsehood about HaShem-יהו״ה.” From where do we learn that it is equal to forbidden relations and adultery? From the verse, “If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and is with another man, can he return to her again? Would that not surely bring the profound guilt of hypocrisy upon the land?” From where do we know that it is equal to murder? From the verse, “They spilled innocent blood… and the land was polluted by the blood of hypocrisy.”",
"It is on account of the sin of flattery and hypocrisy that the rains are withheld. On account of the sin of flattery and hypocrisy, one is judged in purgatory (Gehinnom) eternally, as it states, “Sinners were afraid in Zion; trembling seized hypocrites, [saying], ‘Which of us can live with the consuming fire? Which of us can live with the never-dying blaze?’” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated that the only reason Yeravam merited kingship was because he did not flatteringly yield to Solomon.",
"Fraud has two great evils. The first is that it is similar to the matter of falsehood and hypocrisy, and the second is that it is like theft and deception. In doing so, he denigrates the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, and thinks to himself that the Holy One, blessed is He, does not see his deception, God forbid. It is written, “Each of you shall not defraud his fellow, and you shall fear your God, for I am HaShem-יהו״ה your God,” and it is written, “You shall not commit a perversion of justice, in measures of length, weight, or volume. You shall have correct scales, correct weights, correct dry measures, and correct liquid measures – I am HaShem-יהו״ה your God.” At the beginning of one’s judgement after passing from this world, he is asked, “Did you conduct your business faithfully?”",
"One who defrauds is amongst the four classes of people who do not receive the countenance of the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He (the Shechinah). This is as stated, “In the midst of My house shall not dwell a practitioner of deceit; one who tells lies shall not be established before My eyes.” As stated before, in the section on falsehood, “Jerusalem was not destroyed until trustworthy men ceased to exist in it.” In contrast, regarding one who conducts himself faithfully, with honesty and integrity, it is written, “HaShem-יהו״ה, who may sojourn in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy mountain? One who walks in perfect innocence, who does what is right and speaks the truth from his heart.” ",
"Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The verse, ‘A man of integrity will increase blessings,’ refers to one who conducts his business in good faith. Such a person’s possessions will be increased, and the Holy One, blessed is He, will arrange his financial sustenance.” Moreover, such a person is called a righteous Tzaddik, as it states, “The righteous (Tzaddik) shall live by his faith.” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “There are six-hundred and thirteen commandments, but Chabakkuk came and established them upon one, as it states, ‘The righteous (Tzaddik) shall live by his faith.’”"
],
[
"Gate Six",
"The punishments for transgressing the negative commandments",
"Causing a desecration of the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, is worse than all sins. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated in regard to the matter of the four categories of atonement, “One who has caused a desecration of the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה, his repentance has no power to suspend punishment, nor does Yom Kippur atone for his sin, nor does suffering have the power to absolve him. Rather, it is only by his death that he will be cleansed, as written, ‘This sin will never be atoned for you until you die.’”",
"Relations with a menstruating woman, is punished with excision (Karet). Aside for that, it states in Zohar, “There are three types of people who push the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He (the Shechinah) from the world. When such people cry out in prayer, their voices are not heard. These are them: One who has relations with a menstruating woman, for there is no greater impurity in the world than the impurity of relations with a menstruating woman.”",
"",
"Shabbat is known to be equal to all of the mitzvot. Even the wicked are granted respite on Shabbat and the fires of purgatory (Gehinnom) are dimmed for them. However, when it comes to those who transgress Shabbat, their fires are not dimmed even on Shabbat. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “If only the Jewish people would keep two [consecutive] Shabbats in accordance with the Halachah-Torah law, they would be immediately redeemed.” Our sages, of blessed memory, also stated, “Anyone who observes Shabbat in accordance with its laws, even if he is an idolater like the generation of Enosh, he is forgiven, as it states, ‘Praiseworthy is the man (Enosh-אנוש) who does this and the person who grasps it tightly, who guards the Shabbat against desecration (Meichalelo-מחללו).’ Do not read it ‘against desecration (Meichalelo-מחללו),’ but rather, ‘he is forgiven (Machul Lo-מחול לו).’” It likewise is written, “If you restrain your foot because it is the Shabbat, refrain from accomplishing your own desires on My holy day; If you proclaim the Shabbat ‘a delight,’ and the holy [day] of HaShem-יהו״ה ‘honored,’ and you honor it by not engaging in your own affairs, from seeking your own needs or discussing the forbidden – then you will delight in HaShem-יהו״ה, and I will mount you astride the heights of the world; I will provide you the heritage of your forefather Yaakov, for the mouth of HaShem-יהו״ה has spoken.”",
"The consumption of forbidden fats and blood are known to be amongst the transgressions that are punished with excision (Karet), and cause the soul to become detestable.",
"With regard to one who makes use of the Holy Names, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “One who makes use of the Crown, shall perish,” in that either he or his offspring will become apostates, or he and his offspring will die, or he and his offspring shall become impoverished.",
"One who treats a Torah scholar with contempt, and one who is an informer, are amongst those that have no portion in the coming world, and who shall not rise in the resurrection of the dead.",
"Wasteful seminal emissions are worse than spilling the blood of others, for in doing so, he is spilling not only their blood, but the blood of all their future generations without end. In Zohar to Parshat Vayechi it states, “One is able to repent for all transgressions except for this.” Moreover, when it comes to all other transgressions, a minor is exempt from punishment, except for this. For, Er and Onan were minors who were only about seven years old, and yet they died at the hands of Heaven on account of this sin, even though they were not yet commanded regarding the mitzvot. The same is likewise true of the generation of the flood, about which it states, “For all flesh destroyed its ways upon the earth.” Because of this sin, all creatures were blotted out, everything from man to beast, birds of the sky and insects, and even the first three handsbreadths of the earth were destroyed – something that had not occurred from the beginning of creation until that point, and which shall not occur again. Moreover, this took place even though they were commanded only a mere seven mitzvot.",
"The consumption of forbidden foods is known to cause the soul to become abominable, as is written, “Do not make your souls abominable by means of any teeming thing; do not contaminate yourselves through them, lest you become contaminated through them.” One who stays away from the consumption of forbidden foods is called holy (Kadosh-קדוש), as written in the continuing verses, “You are to sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy, for I am Holy; and you shall not contaminate yourselves through any teeming thing that creeps on the earth. For I am HaShem-יהו״ה Who elevates you from the land of Egypt to be a God unto you; you shall be holy, for I am Holy.” You have already been informed to know that it is holiness (Kedushah) that brings to the Holy spirit of Divine Inspiration (Ru’ach HaKodesh).",
"Regarding oaths that are taken in vain or in falsehood, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “When the Holy One, blessed is He, said at Sinai, ‘You shall not bear the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה your God, in vain,’ the entire world trembled.” This is as stated, “Who shakes the earth from its place, and its pillars tremble,” and the waters of the abyss wish to ascend and flood the entire world etc. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated about this sin, “In regard to all other transgressions in Torah, it states that it is possible to be cleansed (v’Nakeh-ונקה), whereas here, it is stated that he ‘will not be cleansed (Lo Yenakeh-לא ינקה).’ Moreover, for all other transgressions in Torah, punishment is exacted only from the transgressor, whereas here, punishment is exacted from him and from his family, and from the entire world,” even if it is in truth. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “King Yannai had six-hundred thousand towns on the King’s Mountain, and they were all destroyed because of oaths that were taken in truth, even though they fulfilled them.”",
"Our sages, of blessed memory, stated about Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, that “The Holy One, blessed is He, told the angel of death, see if in all his days he requested dissolution of an oath, and if he has, then you may take him out of the Garden of Eden, but if not, then leave him. They checked and found that not only did he never ask for dissolution of an oath, but in all his days, he never took an oath.”"
],
[
"Gate Seven",
"The fulfillment of the positive commandments, and good practices",
"Tzitzit: You already are aware that the mitzvah of Tzitzit (ציצית) is equal to all the mitzvot of the Torah. The word Tzitzit (ציצית) has the numerical value of 600, and together with the 8 threads and 5 knots, equals 613. Similarly, it is written, “You will see it and remember all of the commandments of HaShem-יהו״ה,” thus teaching us that Torah equates the Tzitzit to all the mitzvot.",
"Tefillin: Whoever does not fulfill this mitzvah is called “A skull that has not donned Tefillin,” and will not rise in the resurrection of the dead. However, all destructive forces and the nations of the world are in fear of one who dons them, and about him the verse states, “Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the Name HaShem-יהו״ה is proclaimed over you, and they will fear you,” as Rabbi Eliezer says, “This verse refers to the Tefillin of the head.” Regarding the coming future it states about such people, “In the coming world the righteous sit with their crowns upon their heads, delighting in the radiance of the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה (the Shechinah).”",
"The Shema recital: You already are aware that this is the mitzvah of HaShem’s-יהו״ה unity, blessed is He, which is the root of all of the commandments. The Shema recital consists of 248 words, for through its recital, the 248 limbs and organs of one’s soul undergo repair. Our sages, of blessed memory, also stated, “Whoever recites the Shema twice every day, it is as if he fulfills the entire Torah, as stated, “You shall contemplate it day and night.”",
"Prayer: Our sages, of blessed memory, said about prayer, “These are matters that ascend to the loftiest heights of the world, and yet people treat them as unimportant and insignificant.” You already are aware that prayer is greater than all the sacrificial offerings, as it states, “Why do I need your numerous sacrifices?” The continuation is, “Even if you were to increase your prayers etc.,” indicating that prayer is greater than them all. Just as the sacrificial offerings bring atonement, so likewise, prayer brings atonement for a person’s transgressions. In Zohar to Parshat Vayakhel it states, “Serving the Creator in prayer is greater and more precious than all other forms of service, including all the sacrificial offerings.”",
"Bringing merit to the guilty: Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Elkana merited having his son Shmuel – who was equal to Moshe and Aharon – because he would go up [to the Tabernacle at Shiloh] for every Festival, and would bring multitudes of people with him, thus bringing merit upon them.” His son Shmuel followed this practice, as written, “He would travel year after year, circling to Beth-El, Gilgal and Mitzpah, and judging Israel in all these places. He then would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there he would judge Israel. And there he built an altar to HaShem-יהו״ה.” Similarly, our forefather Avraham, peace be upon him, only merited all his exalted levels on account of what is written, “The souls that they made in Choran.” Similarly, it is written, “Avraham shall surely be a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the world will be blessed in him. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, to keep the way of HaShem-יהו״ה, doing charity and justice etc.” Moreover, the leaders of every generation are either rewarded or punished only in regard to this matter.",
"The Zohar at the beginning of Parshat Terumah, greatly lauds the praise of this mitzvah, stating, “The righteous and meritorious must chase after the guilty and acquire them at full price, to remove the contamination of their sins from them, thus restraining and humbling the opposite of holiness (Sitra Achara). He must toil to repair the soul of the guilty, and this will be considered as if he created them. This brings praise to the glory of the Holy One, blessed is He, over and above all other praises and causes Him to be elevated more than anything else. Regarding this the verse states about Aharon, ‘He returned many from iniquity,’ and it is written, ‘My covenant was with him, life and peace; I gave these to him for the sake of the fear with which he feared Me, for he was in awe of My Name.’ Such a person is caused to be uplifted in three elevations, which other’s do not attain by virtue of the other mitzvot. About such a person the verse states, ‘My covenant was with him, life and peace,’ and he merits to see his children and children of his children. He is meritorious both in this world and the coming world. No accusing forces can judge him in this world, and he enters into the twelve portals of the firmament in the coming world, and none can restrain his hand. About him the verse states, “His offspring will be mighty in the land, a generation of the upright who shall be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house and his righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness, light shines for the upright.’ The Holy One, blessed is He, blesses the form of such a righteous person with all seven blessings that He blessed Avraham with, when he did this and rectified the wicked of his generation. Such a person enters into the seven hidden worlds, which no one, except for those who do this and repair the souls of the guilty, merit. If only people would know the beneficence of such deeds and the merit they bring to the righteous-Tzaddikim for bringing merit to the guilty, they would pursue this as one pursues life itself.”",
"",
"Doing one’s business in good faith has already been discussed before regarding the matter of fraud. Review that section in depth. As has already been explained, know that upon death, at the beginning of one’s judgement he is asked, “Did you conduct your business faithfully?” ",
"Charity is explained by the prophet Yishayahu, “Surely, you should break your bread for the hungry and bring the moaning poor to your home; when you see a naked person, clothe him; and do not hide yourself from your kin. Then your light will burst out like the dawn and your healing will speedily sprout; your righteous deed will precede you and the glory of HaShem-יהו״ה will gather you in. Then you will call and HaShem-יהו״ה will answer; you will cry out and He will respond, ‘Here I am!’” Similarly, it is written, “You shall surely give him, and let your heart not feel bad when you give him, for because of this matter, HaShem-יהו״ה your God, will bless you in all your deeds and in your every undertaking.” Similarly, it is written, “An anonymous gift will cover over anger,” and, “Charity rescues from death.” Likewise, it is written, “His charity endures forever.” That is, there is no sin that can extinguish it, as with the other mitzvot, and it brings life to a person, as in the incident of Binyamin the righteous, mentioned by our sages, of blessed memory.",
"Honoring the Shabbat: As you know, Shabbat is equal to the entire Torah, as explained at the beginning of this gate. Review that section in depth. It is written, “If you restrain your foot because it is Shabbat, refrain from accomplishing your own desires on My holy day; If you proclaim the Shabbat ‘a delight,’ and the holy [day] of HaShem-יהו״ה ‘honored,’ and you honor it by not engaging in your own affairs, from seeking your own needs or discussing the forbidden – then you will delight in HaShem-יהו״ה, and I will mount you astride the heights of the world; I will provide you the heritage of your forefather Yaakov, for the mouth of HaShem-יהו״ה has spoken.” You are familiar with the well-known story of Yosef who cherishes Shabbat (Yosef Mokir Shabbat), who on account of honoring Shabbat, merited inheriting the great wealth of his gentile neighbor. Similarly, there is the story of Rabbi Chiya bar Abba, who was the guest of a certain man in Laodicea who would eat his Shabbat meals on a table made of gold, affixed with sixteen chains of silver. This table was so heavy that sixteen people were needed to carry it, and it was laden with bowls, cups, pitchers and flasks, and every kind of food, delicacy and fragrant spice created in the six days of creation. When Rabbi Chiya bar Abba asked him what he had done to merit all of this, he responded, “I was a slaughterer, and from the choicest parts of the finest animals I would say, ‘This will be for Shabbat!’” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “By what virtue do the wealthy who live outside of the Land of Israel merit their wealth? Because they honor and delight in the Shabbat!”",
"Circumcising one’s son: If you understood our explanation of the greatness of bringing merit to the guilty and the limitless reward brought about by such deeds, then how much more so is this the case regarding bringing one’s own son under the wings of the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה (the Shechinah), in that one’s responsibility toward his family, takes precedence over others.",
"Acts of loving-kindness, visiting the sick, bringing peace, and welcoming guests, are amongst the mitzvot that a person eats of their fruits in this world, while the principal remains for him in the coming world. About anyone who engages in Torah study and acts of lovingkindness, the Holy One, blessed is He, says, “I ascribe him credit as if he redeemed Me and My children from among the nations of the world.” This is the character trait of Avraham, as it states, “Give truth to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham.” It is written, “One who pursues charity and kindness will find life, righteousness and honor.”",
"It is taught that Rabba bar Nachmeinee and Abaye both came from the house of Eli. Rabba bar Nachmeinee who engaged almost exclusively in Torah, lived for forty years, whereas his student, Abaye, lived twenty years longer because he engaged both in Torah study and acts of lovingkindness. Acts of goodness and kindness save a person from the judgments of purgatory (Gehinnom) as well as the judgments of the torments of the grave (Chibut HaKever), as mentioned before in the second gate.",
"Set times for Torah study: In the fifth gate, we already explained the sin of frivolity, and as well known, the study of Torah is equal to all the mitzvot. Additionally, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The beginning of a person’s judgment is only that he judged concerning the study of Torah, as written, ‘The exemption from waters is the beginning of judgment.’”",
"Good Practices:",
"Reciting the Shema upon retiring to sleep: Know what our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “One who recites the Shema upon his bed kills myriads of destructive forces found at night, particularly when his soul ascends above. This is as stated, ‘Let the pious (Chassidim) exalt in glory, let them sing joyously upon their beds. The praises of exaltation of God are in their throats, and a double-edged sword is in their hand.’”",
"Arising after midnight: Firstly, by engaging in this practice he is counted among those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem, about which it states, “Be glad in Jerusalem and rejoice in her, all you who love her, exult with her in jubilation, all you who mourn for her.” For, it is at that hour that the Holy One, blessed is He, also mourns and roars like a lion. Moreover, in regard to one’s study of Torah at that hour, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The exaltation in the Torah is only at night.” Additionally, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Whoever occupies himself with Torah study at night, the Holy One, blessed is He, extends a thread of kindness upon him by day.” Our sages, of blessed memory, also stated, “Anyone who occupies himself with Torah study at night, the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה (the Shechinah), is opposite him. The verse states, “Arise! Exalt in the night, at the beginning of the watches!” King David, peace be upon him, only merited to live in this world and in the coming world on account of this practice, as written, “At midnight I arise to thank You for Your righteous ordinances.” The book of Zohar is filled with explanations praising this mitzvah to no end, and the Holy Spirit of Divine Inspiration (Ru’ach HaKodesh) dwells upon such a person, as mentioned there in Parshat Shemot."
],
[
"Gate Eight",
"The Gate of Repentance Which divides into three sections:",
"Section One: The Positive Commandments",
"The gravest of the positive commandments are the mitzvah of offering the Paschal Lamb (Korban Pesach) and the mitzvah of circumcision. The nullification of either of these two commandments results in excision (Karet). Even more severe is the nullification of positive commandments that are punished with excision (Karet) and also violate a negative commandment, such as the mitzvah to fast and desist from all prohibited forms of labor on Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). Higher than this is the mitzvah of resting from all prohibited forms of labor on Shabbat, as nullifying this mitzvah is both a negative prohibition and is punishable by stoning (Skilah). Higher than this is the mitzvah to procreate, that is, to be fruitful and multiply. For even if a person is full of Torah and mitzvot, like King Chizkiyahu, he will die in this world and not live in the coming world, because he abstained from procreating. This is also the case in regard to the positive mitzvah of donning Tefillin. That is, a skull that has never donned Tefillin shall not rise in the time of the resurrection and is called a rebellious Jew who sins with his body. Greater than all these is a person who abrogates the covenant of the circumcision in order to cause anger.",
"It is a positive commandment to know that there is a God, and one who denies this primary foundation has no share in the coming world.",
"There are also mitzvot that one eats of the fruit in this world, while the principal remains for the coming world. These include honoring one’s father and mother, acts of kindness for the poor and the rich, both through physical action and with one’s money, bringing joy to a bride and groom, visiting the sick, burying the dead and comforting mourners, clothing the naked, welcoming guests, praying with concentration and devotional intent, bringing peace between one person and another and certainly between himself and his fellow, as well as judging one’s fellow favorably. The study of Torah is equal to them all. Included in this category is rising early to the house of prayer, and raising one’s sons by guiding them to study Torah.",
"Section Two: Regarding the punishments for forbidden character traits, and punishments for transgressing the negative commandments",
"There are two character traits that are the gravest of all. The first is anger, which is equal to idolatry, about which it states, “You who tears his soul apart in his anger,” causing his soul to be uprooted and to depart, and to be replaced with another evil soul.",
"The second is arrogance and haughtiness which is higher and worse than anger. It is equal to idolatry, and he is compared to an Ashera tree, and is like one who stands in denial of the fundamental truth of HaShem’s-יהו״ה existence, and it is as if he violated every one of the forbidden sexual relations, and his dust will not stir at the time of the resurrection of the dead. Nevertheless, when it comes to the punishment for the negative commandments, these are prohibitions for which one does not receive lashes, similar to a prohibitive commandment that has no action and that is transformable through a positive commandment.",
"These two categories, as well as the nullification of all positive commandments except for those severe ones that we previously mentioned, are called minor transgressions (Aveirot Kalot). All of the severe positive commandments that we mentioned before, and all of the negative commandments except for these two categories that we mentioned, are called severe transgressions, in which there are many levels. They are all the sins for which one is liable for excision (Karet) and death by the hands of Heaven or death administered by the court.",
"However, when it comes to the transgression of the commandment, “You shall not bear the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה your God, in vain,” even though it is not punishable by excision (Karet), in a different respect it is more severe than all other commandments. This is because retribution is exacted on him as well as his family and the entire world, even including those who are not in a position to admonish him.",
"About the matter of desecrating the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה, our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “To what extent does the desecration of the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה go? Rav said: For me, it would be if I would take meat from a butcher and not pay him immediately. Rabbi Yochanan said: For me, it would be if I would walk four cubits without the Torah and without wearing Tefillin due to bodily weakness, for those who would see me would not know that it is due to my weakness. They would learn from my behavior, causing a nullification of Torah study and the fulfillment of the mitzvah of Tefillin. Rabbi Yanai said: Anything that causes one’s friends to become embarrassed because of his reputation, this is a desecration of the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה. Abaye said: It is as taught about the verse, ‘And you shall love HaShem-יהו״ה your God,’ that the Name of Heaven should become beloved by your hand. This means that a person should read Torah, study Mishnah, serve and study from Torah scholars, conduct his business transactions faithfully and be pleasant with people. However, if he does all the above, except not conduct his business dealings in good faith, and does not speak pleasantly with others, the Name of Heaven is desecrated by his hand.”",
"In regard to all of the above, if he died without repenting, he is judged in purgatory (Gehinnom). However, in the end, he rises and ascends from there, is reparable and has a portion in the resurrection of the dead and in the coming world.",
"Higher and worse than this, are those who are called rebellious Jews who sin with their bodies (Poshei Yisroel b’Gufam), such as a skull that has never donned Tefillin because he is too lazy to don them, even though he can. For, if his intention was to cause anger, then he is said to be in the category of the atheist (Min), or at the very least an apostate (Mumar). If such a person dies without repentance, he is judged in purgatory (Gehinom) for twelve months, after which his body is destroyed and his soul is burned and becomes ashes under the souls of the feet of the righteous in the coming world.",
"Higher and worse than this are those who have no portion whatsoever in the coming world. Even when purgatory (Gehinom) itself ceases, their punishment does not cease. This applies even if they possess Torah and good deeds, but died without repenting, like Doeg the Edomite, the mighty of the shepherds. This category includes the atheists (Minim), and students who alter the words of Torah to fit their atheism. The same applies to one a person who is an apostate (Mumar) with only the single transgression of idolatry, even though he acknowledges the truth of all the mitzvot and is known to fulfill them all constantly.",
"The category of apostates (Minim) also includes the following: This category includes even a person who is only an apostate in regard to a single commandment and transgresses only that one commandment as an act of rebellion; or even if he only does so to satisfy his lust; and similarly, one who casts off the yoke of Heaven, meaning that he denies the fundamental truth of HaShem’s-יהו\"ה existence and states that there is no God; and likewise, one who says that the Torah is indeed from Heaven, but “I cannot stand it,” meaning “I do not fulfill it;” or alternatively, one who says that the Torah is not from Heaven, even if he only is referring to a single verse, or a single grammatical aspect, such as missing letters or additional letters, or denies even one exegetical matter, such as a single Kal VaChomer or a single Gzeira Shava transmitted by our sages; Some also include those who deny the Oral Torah or matters that are established by the Sages; This category also includes one who says that the resurrection of the dead is not from the Torah, meaning that it is not hinted at in the Torah, even though he believes both in the Torah and the resurrection of the dead; Also, one who interprets Torah falsely, such as Menasheh, who would expound the Torah scornfully and falsely, saying things like “There was no reason for Moshe to write the verse, ‘And Lotan’s sister was Timna,’” and the like; Also, one who publicly violates the commandments of the Torah high-handedly, like Yehoyakim; One who abrogates the covenant of circumcision (Brit Milah), meaning that as an act of rebellion, he does not circumcise himself, or alternately, he stretches his foreskin to look uncircumcised; One who himself sins and also causes others to sin such as Yeravam, which even includes transgressing minor prohibitions; Also, infidels (Apikorsim), that is, those who treat a Torah scholar with contempt, to their faces; and also one who sits before his master and says, “this thing is forbidden,” or “this thing is permissible,” in the form of a statement, rather than in the form of a question; Also one who ridicules his master when he expounds something that seems to be an exaggeration, and he does not believe his words; Also one who treats Torah scholars with contempt, even not to their face, such as those who say “Those Rabbis…” in a degrading manner, or similarly, those who say, “With what have the Rabbis benefited us? They read the Torah for their own benefit, and study the Mishnah for their own benefit etc.,” or like those who say, “With what have the Rabbis benefited us? Never have they permitted a raven for us, nor have they prohibited a dove for us.” Also included is one who addresses his master by name, and does not respectfully address him as “my master and teacher;” Likewise, one who disgraces his fellow before a Torah scholar; and those who betray others to the Gentile authorities, whether they turned a Jew into the hands of the Gentile authorities to be beaten, or whether they only betrayed him monetarily to the Gentile authorities; Likewise, a communal leader who imposes excess fear upon the community out of pride, rather than for the sake of the Name of HaShem-יהו\"ה; One who disgraces the Festivals, in that he intentionally performs labor during Chol HaMo’ed as a show of disgrace and that he does not believe that it is forbidden, rather than for personal benefit; One who publicly embarrasses his fellow in his presence; One who derives honor from the shame of his friend, and it seems to me, that this too is if it is his presence; One who reads extraneous literature, such as the book of Ben Sira and the books of Ben La’anah, which are nonsensical books that draw a person’s heart and cause him to neglect his Torah study; The same applies to books of apostacy, such as those of the priests and ministers of the nations; However, books such as that written by Homer and other similar books, are considered to be mundane, and are as if he is merely reading a correspondence, as stated in the Jerusalem Talmud; One who whispers incantations over an injury, or even if he recites a verse over it and spits, irrespective of whether it is the verse, “I will not bring any of the diseases upon you,” or whether it has any other mention of illness, healing, or the Name of Heaven, but even if it is a verse such as, “HaShem-יהו״ה called to Moshe etc.”; One who pronounces the Name HaShem-יהו״ה according to its letters outside the Temple, which the Jerusalem Talmud explains means that he does not mention Him by His title, in accordance to the verse, “This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance from generation to generation.” However, in our Talmud we learn that this is specifically if he does so publicly; One who disgraces the word of HaShem-יהו״ה, meaning that he recalls words of Torah in a filthy place; Likewise, one who reads the written Torah, but pays no heed to the words of the Mishnah, which explain the written Torah; Similarly, one who studies Torah but does not teach it, the exception being the secrets of the Torah, about which it states, “The lambs (Kvasim-כבשים) shall be for your clothing,” meaning, “Matters that are the secrets of the world (Kivshono shel Olam-כבשונו של עולם) should be hidden under your clothing.” It is only fitting to teach them to the pious (Chassidim) of the generation, who are worthy of being taught; Similarly, one who is capable of engaging in Torah study but does not engage in it, and instead engages in business and other worldly matters; One who gossips (Rechilut), meaning that he takes the words of one friend and brings them to another, and this applies even if they are not words that cause any shame or ill repute, and even if they are true, like what occurred with Doeg the Edomite and David; One who speaks evil speech (Lashon Hara), in that he speaks of his fellow’s shamefulness, even if it is true; The slanderer (Motzi Shem Ra) who relates false matters about his fellow to disgrace his name; Anyone who violates these three, that is, the gossiper, one who speaks evil speech and the slanderer, it is considered as if they have denied the primary foundation of HaShem’s-יהו״ה existence, and these are so severe that they are equal to the three cardinal sins of the Torah, these being idolatry, forbidden relations, and murder; One who lends to his fellow Jew with interest and did not return the interest to him will not rise upon the resurrection of the dead; One who transgresses the Shabbat is judged in purgatory (Gehinom) for all generations; One who intentionally does not bear children and dies childless is excised from this world and will not have life in the coming world.",
"There are three categories of people who descend to purgatory and never ascend: One who has relations with a married woman; One who calls his fellow by a derogatory nickname, and this applies even if he has become accustomed to being called by that name instead of his real name and does not become embarrassed by it, but the perpetrator intends to insult him; One who speaks evil speech (Lashon Hara), which is equal to all three, in which case he too has no share in the coming world.",
"Greater than all sins, is the transgression of wasteful seminal emissions, in that he spills the blood of his own offspring for all generations until the end of the world. Even though all other sins are reparable through repentance, there is no repentance for this sin, as mentioned in Zohar to Parshat Vayechi. However, there are those who have a version that states that repentance can be effective if he truly repents strongly and constantly.",
"Sins between man and his fellow are minor in comparison to transgressions between man and HaShem-יהו״ה, the Ever Present One, blessed is He. However, from a different angle, they are worse, since they have no repair except by appeasing the fellow who he sinned against and that his fellow forgives him, and by making restitution, either through words or financially.",
"Section Three: Repentance for sins between man and the Creator",
"There is not a single sin that stands in the way of repentance, even the sin of denying the primary foundation of HaShem’s-יהו״ה existence, and even if he only repented at the moment of death.",
"There are four categories of atonement. If a person transgressed a minor positive commandment and repented, he does not move from there until he is forgiven. If he transgressed a minor prohibitive commandment, repentance as well as Yom Kippur affect atonement for him. If he transgressed grave sins, be they positive commandments or prohibitions, such as those for which one is punished by excision (Karet) or is liable for the death penalty at the hands of Heaven, or whether he is liable for the death penalty at the hands of the court, with the exception being a desecration of the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, repentance, Yom Kippur, as well as suffering, affect his atonement. If he caused a desecration of the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, or if he violated the gravest of commandments, such as rebellious Jews who sin with their bodies (Poshei Yisroel b’Gufam), and all who descend to purgatory (Gehinom) and do not ascend, as well as all those who will not rise upon the resurrection of the dead and all those who have no portion in the coming world, as previously discussed at length in the two preceding sections - repentance, Yom Kippur, suffering, and death, affect his atonement.",
"The sufferings that affect atonement include every manner and type of suffering. To what extent is something considered suffering? To the point that even if he accidently puts his garment on backward and must take it off to put it on correctly, or if he reached into his pocket to take out two coins and only one coin came up and he must put his hand into his pocket a second time, this is considered suffering.",
"Repentance (Teshuvah) means that the opportunity to commit the same sin that he transgressed presented itself to him, but he does not transgress it a second or third time. For example, he has the opportunity to transgress with the same woman, at around the same time period, and in the same place, and the like, but he does not do so. If he repents out of love of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, or even if only out of fear of punishment, then the sin is entirely uprooted from him, as if it never was. However, if he repents because suffering came upon him, the sin is not completely healed, and he is called a “Baal Moom” – a blemished person.",
"Repentance (Teshuvah) requires repentance with words. The primary words of confession are thus, “Please, HaShem-יהו״ה, I have sinned, I have done wrong, I have rebelled against You… but we and our fathers have sinned.” The words of the confessional presented in our Talmud as well as the Jerusalem Talmud is as follows, although I shall both summarize and add some words:",
"“Master of the universe, I have sinned, I have done wrong, I have rebelled against You, and have done evil in Your eyes, and I was in a state of mind of wickedness, and I went in errant ways. I hereby regret my sins. If only it could be that I had not done them, but I shall no longer act and no longer do as I previously did. May it be desirable before You, HaShem-יהו״ה my God, and the God of my fathers, that you atone me of all my rebellious deeds, and pardon me of all my transgressions, and forgive me for all my sins, that I sinned, transgressed, and rebelled before you, from the day that I was created in the world until this day, whether I did so in this incarnation or in any other incarnation, whether I transgressed prohibitions of the Torah or Rabbinic prohibitions, including their enactments, safe-guards, or customs, for You are He who desires repentance. May the expressions of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before You, HaShem-יהו״ה, my Rock and Redeemer.”"
]
]
},
"Part 3": {
"": [
[
"Part Three",
"The conduct of attaining the Holy Spirit of Divine Inspiration (Ru’ach HaKodesh)
1. The existence of the worlds.
2. The existence of man.
3. The hindrances to prophecy.
4. The conditions to prophecy.
5. The nature of prophecy and its substance.
6. The levels of prophecy.
7. The conduct of the Holy Spirit of Divine Inspiration (Ru’ach HaKodesh) in our times.
8. A short introduction to the manner of its attainment.",
"Part Three",
"Gate One The Existence of the Worlds",
"This matter shall be explained with the utmost brevity, solely to the extent necessary to understand the matter of prophecy. Now, the Supernal Emanator, blessed is He, who emanated all the worlds, is called the Unlimited One (Ein Sof), blessed is He. He has no image whatsoever, neither in the form of a name, nor in the form of a letter, nor even in the thorns of the letters. We thus are incapable and therefore barred from all thought of Him.",
"He emanated five worlds, one world being the soul for the next, and the next world being the soul for the next. These are: Primordial Man-Adam Kadmon, as mentioned in Sefer Tikkunim, which in the nomenclature of the Ge’onim is called, “Exceedingly Brilliant-Tzachtzechoot.” The second is the world of Emanation-Atzilut. The third is the world of Creation-Briyah. The fourth is the world of Formation-Yetzirah. The fifth is the world of Action-Asiyah. These five worlds are considered as One Being-Havayah Achat-הוי״ה אחת. For, the thorn of the letter Yod-יו״ד (י) is Primordial Man-Adam Kadmon, the Yod-יו״ד (י) itself is the world of Emanation-Atzilut, the first Hey-ה״א (ה) is the world of Creation-Briyah, the Vav-וא״ו (ו) is the world of Formation-Yetzirah, and the final Hey-ה״א (ה) is the world of Action.",
"Now, because Primordial Man-Adam Kadmon is so concealed from us, to the point that it does not even have the form of a letter, but only the thorn of the Yod-יו״ד (י) – whereas the Unlimited One Himself, blessed is He, does not even have the simple image or form of the thorn of a letter – we therefore generally only discuss the four worlds of Emanation-Atzilut, Creation-Briyah, Formation-Yetzirah, and Action-Asiyah. This is because they are complete letters, and together, the four are called, The Name of Being-שם הוי״ה.",
"These four further subdivide into nine levels, these being wisdom-Chochmah, understanding-Binah, the six directions of beauty-Tiferet and kingship-Malchut. For, these four are called the four Supernal foundations, which are the four worlds of Emanation-Atzilut, Creation-Briyah, Formation-Yetzirah, and Action-Asiyah, and they divide into nine Sefirot. However, the thorn of the Yod-יו״ד (י), which is Primordial Man-Adam Kadmon, is the fifth world, which is higher than them all and includes them all. It alone is the root of all four foundations, which are the four worlds of Emanation-Atzilut, Creation-Briyah, Formation-Yetzirah, and Action-Asiyah. We thus find that there are never more than four foundations, and the general principle that arises, is that the Unlimited One (Ein Sof), blessed is He, is not included in any calculation whatsoever.",
"Subsequently, the worlds were initially included as one complete Name of Being-Shem Havayah-שם הוי״ה. Afterwards, they were divided into four foundations, except for their root, which is Primordial Man-Adam Kadmon and is the thorn of the letter Yod-יו״ד (י) which is the tenth Sefirah that is higher than them all, and is therefore called the crown-Keter. Afterwards, the four foundations were divided into nine Sefirot, as mentioned.",
"Now, it all includes two categories; the Emanator and all the Emanated. About this, it states in Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, “Before the creation of the world” – the intention being to this world – “He and His Name were One.” The Unlimited One (Ein Sof), blessed is He, is referred to here as, “He-Hoo-הוא,” and the emanated are included in, “His Name-Shmo-שמו,” which is One Being-Havayah Achat-הוי״ה אחת, and all of it is One, because “the flame was concealed within the coal.”",
"Now, it was explained that all the worlds are included in the Name of Being-Shem Havayah-שם הוי״ה, which is divided into four foundations and ten Sefirot. In the same manner, this is likewise the case with each of the worlds, in the same manner, that each of them also divides into particulars. That is, the world of Emanation-Atzilut, which is the letter Yod-יו״ד (י) and is called wisdom-Chochmah, divides into each of the aforementioned aspects. It too possesses one complete Name of Being-Havayah Achat-הוי״ה אחת that is divided into four foundations and ten complete Sefirot, literally in the same manner that we mentioned in regard to the worlds in general. The same is likewise so of each of the five aforementioned worlds. The same is likewise the case that each further divides into its further particulars to the utmost specificity, until we find that even in this lowly world, even the most minor creation contains the totality of the four letters of Being-Havayah-הוי״ה and all the ten Sefirot within itself. All this is to show that everything is created by the power of the Emanator, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, and aside for Him, nothing exists.",
"Another introductory matter that you must know, is that all these aspects and levels, from the exalted level of Primordial Man-Adam Kadmon, until the depths of the abyss of this lowly world, are all one above the other, and one within the other. For, the one that is higher manifests within the one that is below it, like the soul to the body. However, it is not all of the upper aspect that manifests within the lower aspect. Rather, it only is a specific aspect, which is the lowest level of the upper level, that manifests within each lower level, and the same is true in succession, until this lowest of all worlds. That is, such is the case with all the worlds, whether we are discussing the worlds in general, or whether we are discussing each particular aspect of them, including even in this world – in every particular detail in them, it is in this manner. That is, there is one that is higher than another, and one that is inner to the other, to the point that they all are like garments for one another, and ultimately, they all are garments of the Unlimited One, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, who is the Soul of all souls.",
"However, in each of these five worlds, there is a separation in the spreading forth of their lights and the extent of their spreading forth, so that there should be a distinction between them. Similarly, there is another separation in the particulars of the four foundations of each world, as well as in the particulars of the particulars, but this is not the place for the explanation of this matter.",
"What we find is that in the manner of the spreading forth of lights and illuminations from Above to below, there is no Sefirah that does not include all ten Sefirot within it, and each particular Sefirah further subdivides into thousands and tens of thousands of Sefirot. The same is likewise so of the spreading forth of the lights from inner to outer. It also is in this manner. For, the innermost of the Sefirot is called the crown-Keter, and the outer Sefirah that is upon it, is wisdom-Chochmah, and the outer Sefirah that is upon it, is understanding-Binah, and the outer Sefirah that is upon it, are the six directions of beauty-Tiferet, and the outermost of them all, is kingship-Malchut. The same is likewise so with each particular aspect, that it divides in this manner into thousands and tens of thousands of particular details.",
"However, because we have already provided the complete explanations of this matter, as it is in all the worlds – except for the matter of Action-Asiyah – we will therefore only explain this subject in great brevity here, to the extent that it is necessary to understand the desired subject that we seek in this book.",
"Now, there are seven firmaments. The uppermost is called Aravot, because it includes the first three Sefirot of the world of Action-Asiyah within it. These are the Sphere of the Intellect (Galgal HaSechel), the Surrounding Sphere (Galgal HaMakif), and the Sphere of the Constellations (Galgal HaMazalot). The five spheres of Saturn (Shabtai), Jupiter (Tzeddek), Mars (Ma’adim), the Sun (Chamah), and Venus (Nogah), are the Sefirot of kindness-Chessed, Judgment-Gevurah, beauty-Tiferet, conquest-Netzach and majesty-Hod. The sixth sphere is foundation-Yesod, and includes both Mercury (Kochav) and the Moon (Levanah). ",
"The last firmament, which is called Veelon, has nothing of her own with which to serve, and is the Sefirah of kingship-Malchut of the world of Action-Asiyah. Nevertheless, it too is divided into the ten Sefirot that are within it, which are as follows: The firmament Veelon is the crown-Keter within it. The four elemental foundations of fire (Aish), air (Ru’ach), water (Mayim), and earth (Affar) of this lowly world, are the aspects of wisdom-Chochmah, understanding-Binah, the six-directions of beauty-Tiferet, and kingship-Malchut. We thus find that kingship of kingship – Malchut of Malchut – that is within the world of Action-Asiyah is the foundational element of earth (Affar), which is the receptacle and substance-matter of this entire world. It is in this foundational element of earth (Affar) that all of its offspring are included, as it includes within it all four fundamental elements that were mentioned, as per the explanation of the verse, “All originate from the earth (Affar).”",
"We have thus explained the matter from Above to below, as well as from the inner to the outer. For, the elemental foundation of earth (Affar) contains ten Sefirot. Their crown-Keter is the innermost, and is called the aspect of the Yechidah essence of the foundational element of earth (Affar). External to it is wisdom-Chochmah, which is the aspect of the Chayah of the earth (Affar). External to that is the aspect of understanding-Binah, which is the aspect of the Neshamah of the earth (Affar). External to that is the aspect of the six-directions of beauty-Tiferet, which is the Ru’ach of the earth (Affar). External to that is kingship-Malchut, which is the Nefesh of the foundational element of earth (Affar). This external aspect of kingship-Malchut itself divides into ten Sefirot that are within it, and their kingship-Malchut is the foundational element of the gross physical earth (Affar) itself, which contains no spirituality at all, but only gross substance, which is called inanimate (Domem), whereas that which is inner to it, is called the soul-Nefesh of the inanimate (Domem).",
"The same applies to the foundational element of water (Mayim). For, the aspect of kingship-Malchut is the most external of its aspects, which is called water that brings forth growth and vegetation, and it thus is called the vegetative (Tzome’ach), and all the aspects that are inner to it, are called the soul-Nefesh of the vegetative (Tzome’ach). The same is so of the elemental foundations of air (Ru’ach) and fire (Aish), which are the animate (Chay) and speaking beings (Medaber), respectively. Together, the four are as follows: The inanimate (Domem) is the Nefesh; the vegetative (Tzome’ach) is the Ru’ach; the animate (Chay) is the Neshamah; the speaking being (Medaber) is the Chayah; and Veelon is the Yechidah. As already explained, each of these aspects includes them all.",
"These aspects are referred to by the philosophers as “powers.” For example, they stated that the soul (Nefesh) of the vegetative (Tzome’ach) possesses the power to sustain, the power to draw sustenance, the power to absorb and the power to expel. Similarly, they stated about the soul of the animate living being (Chay) that it possesses the power of motion, the power of movement and the sensatory powers, and that it possesses the power of consciousness, the power of imagination and the power of imagery etc. The same principle applies to them all.",
"What arises from all this, is that even though kingship-Malchut is the most external of all the levels of whatever aspect it may be, nevertheless, it is the body of that aspect. However, it is not a body of actual coarse and gross physical substance. Rather, that is only the case with the final most external aspect of kingship-Malchut of the world of Action-Asiyah, from above to below and from inner to outer. Only that level, which is the foundational element of completely gross material earth (Affar), is the coarsest and most gross body in all the world."
],
[
"Gate Two",
"The Existence of Man",
"In this section we shall explain wondrous mysteries, teachings that were never openly revealed by the ancients, and were they not necessary in order to explain the matter of prophecy, I would never have explained them. I therefore shall write them with the utmost brevity, and may they be as, “lambs (Kvasim-כבשים) for your clothing,” meaning that, “Matters that are the secrets of the world (Kivshono shel Olam-כבשונו של עולם) should remain hidden under your clothing.”",
"I shall ask several deep questions as follows:",
"1. Why was it necessary for man to be created in this world, with a soul and a body?",
"2. Why, was man bestowed two additional forms when he was formed, these being the good inclination (Yetzer Tov) and the evil inclination (Yetzer Hara) that are within him?",
"3. Since both are equally balanced within him, what is it that gives man the strength to choose and tip the scales to one or the other? Moreover, if he indeed has the ability to tip the scales to one or other, why then were they created altogether?",
"4. We must explain the matter of these two inclinations and what they are.",
"5. We must know whether the soul of man is greater than the angelic beings or not. If we say that man is greater than the angels, then why did the angels not also descend into this physical world to manifest in a soul and a body? On the other hand, we cannot say that angels are greater than man. For, in all the teachings of our sages, of blessed memory, we find the opposite to be true. For example, along with many other teachings, they stated, “Who is greater, the guard or the guarded?” Moreover, even Scripturally, the verses themselves indicate the opposite to be true, as written, “You weakened-תשי the Rock who bore you,” and, “Give strength to God, whose pride is over Israel,” and, “You are children to HaShem-יהו״ה your God,” and, “You are My servant Israel, in whom I take pride.” Moreover, the angels do not recite “Holy, Holy, Holy,” until the Jewish people below recite it first. We find no such things whatsoever stated about the angels.",
"6. Even if we submit that man is greater than the angels, it nevertheless remains entirely questionable to call them “His children,” or to say that they weaken (מתישים) or strengthen Him, or that He takes pride in them, for a person could possibly fall into heresy from this.",
"7. In regard to the matter of prophecy, how is it applicable that the King, King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, would speak to lowly man, even through the agency of an angel, especially since man is manifest in the grossest and coarsest substance in all the worlds?",
"Now, in the preceding gate we explained the matter of the existence of the worlds and how they all are One Being-Havayah Achat-הוי״ה אחת that includes them all, and that they are divided into five worlds. We explained that these are called the Yechidah, Chayah, Neshamah, Ru’ach, and Nefesh. We also explained that this physical world is the body and substance to them all. That is, each of the worlds are in the form of man, and each possesses substance and form, and each are divided into five spiritual levels, as explained. You also know that when the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה is spelled out with the letter Aleph-א [יו\"ד ה\"א וא\"ו ה\"א] it has the same numerical value as “man-Adam-אדם-45.” The same is likewise so of each particular detail in all their various levels. Each of them is called a particular man (Adam-אדם), which includes One Being-Havayah Achat-הוי\"ה אחת that divides into four foundations and ten Sefirot.",
"There is another division that was not explained in the preceding gate, which is that the ten Sefirot also subdivide further into 613 aspects, as will be explained. Nevertheless, it is understood that all the worlds as a whole, as well as each particular world, in and of itself, is created in the form of the lower man. This is the mystery of the verse, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” Understand this well.",
"Now, it has already been explained that everything from the world of Creation-Briyah and down, is called the Tree of Knowledge, in that it includes both good and evil. Additionally, it has been explained that with the successive descent of their levels, there is a diminishment of the good and an increase of the evil, to the point that we find that this lowly world is mostly evil with very little good. It also is explained that “the wicked surrounds the righteous,” and therefore the good is called the fruit, whereas the evil is called the peel or shell (Kelipah) that covers over the fruit. Moreover, the same is likewise true that the good lights and illuminations are also in this manner, that is, the more refined and spiritual among them are manifest within the remaining lights and illuminations. The same is true of them all, according to the order of their levels. In the preceding gate it was also explained how the Unlimited One, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, is the innermost of them all, and that the Sefirot are external to Him, according to the order of their levels, with the crown-Keter being the most inner and kingship-Malchut being the most external.",
"We now shall begin explaining what has yet to be explained. Namely, just as this unique light, which is called the world of the Ten Sefirot, is in the image of a single man, so likewise, there is another light of man (Adam-אדם) that is called the source of the souls of all people. It too includes all the particulars that were explained in regard to the man (Adam-אדם) of the Ten Sefirot, literally. That is, the man (Adam-אדם) of the Ten Sefirot is considered to be completely Godly, and it manifests within the light and illumination which is the source of the souls, in all their particular details.",
"There is also another light in the form of man (Adam-אדם) which is called the source of the angels. That is, all the angels are hewn from this light, and it too includes all the above-mentioned details. It is the outer garment over the light that is the source of the souls.",
"There is yet another lesser light, which is called dark light, that consists entirely of harsh judgments. It is from this light that all the shells of the Kelipot of that particular world emanate from. This light, garbs the light that is the source of the souls, and it too possesses the image of man (Adam-אדם). Outside all these lights that we have mentioned, are the firmaments (Raki’im) themselves, as they are in that particular world. They are called the body (Guf) of that particular world, and within them, the five above-mentioned lights are manifest. That is, the light of the Unlimited One (Ohr Ein Sof), blessed is He, as it manifests according to the capacity of that particular world, is innermost. Upon Him, like a garment, is the light of the source of the souls. Upon it, like a garment, is the light of the source of the angels. Upon it, like a garment, is the light of the source of the shells of Kelipah. Upon it, like a garment, is the world itself, which are the firmaments (Raki’im) that are the body (Guf), together with the above-mentioned inner lights. Subsequently, from this body (Guf), which is called the firmaments (Raki’im), the offspring of that world are created, each of which includes all these aspects. For, each of them has a power drawn to it from the firmament, which is its body. That is, within it are the lights of the judgments, and within it are the lights of the angels, and within it is the light from the source of the souls, and within it are the lights of the Ten Sefirot, that rides upon them and enlivens them all.",
"Now, that power that is drawn to it from the light of the source of the souls is called the Upper Flow (Mazal HaElyon) of that soul of lower man. Understand this very well, and also realize that this aspect, as it exists in the world of Creation-Briyah, is called the Flow (Mazal) of the Neshamah, whereas this aspect in the world of Formation-Yetzirah, is called the Flow (Mazal) of the Ru’ach, and in the world of Action-Asiyah it is called the Flow (Mazal) of the Nefesh.",
"We shall now explain the matter of man’s existence and will begin by explaining his existence starting from kingship-Malchut of the world of Action-Asiyah and going up in ascending order.",
"We already explained each world in general and the offspring of that world and their substance. Now, in the world of Action-Asiyah, the first and lowest aspect that we shall discuss, is the aspect of the kingship-Malchut within it, which is called the four foundational elements of the lowly world. All of its offspring are constructed of the body (Guf) within these aspects, which is the foundational element of physical earth (Affar). They are divided into four categories, as follows:",
"The lowest level is the category of precious stones and metals, which consist only of the foundational element of earth (Affar). These receive from the four elemental foundations (Yesodot) as they are composed in their bodies and intermingled to form that particular metal. However, there is one power within each of them which is the cause of the particular admixture that we mentioned, and is called the soul (Nefesh) of the foundational element of earth (Affar), and it itself is composed of its five powers and levels, as previously mentioned.",
"Afterwards, vegetative plants (Tzome’ach) were created, such as trees and grasses. Their bodies also are from the foundational element of earth (Affar), and they too have the soul (Nefesh) of the inanimate (Domem). However, they also have an additional soul, which is the soul (Nefesh) of the vegetative (Tzome’ach) and includes its five powers and levels.",
"Afterwards, the animate beings (Chay) were created, referring to animals and birds etc. They have the body (Guf) and soul (Nefesh) of the inanimate (Domem), as well as the soul (Nefesh) of the vegetative (Tzome’ach), and in addition, they also have the soul (Nefesh) of the animate (Chayah), which is called the animalistic soul (Nefesh HaBehamit) and includes the power of movement and the sensatory powers.",
"Afterwards, man the speaker (Medaber) was created. He has all the above-mentioned powers, but in addition, he also has a speaking soul (Nefesh HaMedaberet), which is from the elemental foundation of fire (Aish).",
"However, know with certainty that all these aspects of body and soul as they are in man, are much more refined than they are in the animate (Chay) and that the animate (Chay) are more refined than the vegetative (Tzome’ach), and that the vegetative (Tzome’ach) more refined than the inanimate (Domem). This should be clear based on what has already been explained. For, in each of these aspects, all of the other aspects are included, each one being more inner than the other.",
"Afterwards, He created the Jewish man, who is much more refined in all his aspects than all other created beings, both in his body and in the four aspects of his soul, these being the inanimate (Domem), the vegetative (Tzome’ach), the animate (Chay) and the speaking (Medaber). That is, he is of the innermost and most refined aspect of each of the four foundational elements within them, as well as their form (Tzurah), meaning, the soul (Nefesh) that is within them.",
"Now, because he is more refined than all other creatures of the earth, he is elevated to a greater extent, since he also includes and is bound to all the worlds in all their particular details, from below to above. That is, initially a soul manifests within him from the firmament of Veelon, and that level of soul and above, until even the highest firmament of the world of Action-Asiyah, is all called the soul-Nefesh of the world of Action-Asiyah. This aspect of the soul is called the holy intellectual soul (Nefesh HaSeechleet HaKedoshah) within man. However, this level of soul itself is divided into the five powers of Yechidah, Chayah, Neshamah, Ru’ach and Nefesh.",
"It also divides into two categories in a different manner. For, all the aspects that it takes from the four elemental foundations are called the soul of the elements (Nefesh HaYesodot) and are taken from the above-mentioned powers of the inanimate (Domem), vegetative (Tzome’ach), animate (Chay) and speaker (Medaber), and the soul-Nefesh from Veelon is the crown-Keter over them all, and is called the intellectual soul (Nefesh HaSeechleet). The aspects that are from the other nine firmaments, are divided into the Ru’ach, Neshamah, Chayah and Yechidah of the Nefesh, and altogether, they are called one soul-Nefesh of the world of Action-Asiyah of the general worlds.",
"Afterwards he obtains a Ru’ach from the world of Formation-Yetzirah, and it too is divided into a number of levels in the same manner mentioned before. Nevertheless, in relation to the aspect of the general worlds, it is called a Ru’ach. The same is likewise so with the Neshamah from the world of Creation-Briyah, as well as with the Chayah from the world of Emanation-Atzilut, and with the Yechidah from Primordial Man-Adam Kadmon.",
"We thus have clearly explained the nature of the existence of man, and that he includes all the worlds within himself, whether generally or particularly. In contrast, this is not the case with all the other creatures, be they supernal creatures or lower creatures. For, all the offspring of a particular world, only include within themselves that particular world within which they were created.",
"Now, everything we have stated to this point explains the matter in a way of ascent from below to above. However, man also includes all the worlds within himself from inner to outer, as follows: In the world of Action-Asiyah, he has a body of earth (Affar) which is called the lowly world. Within it are the elemental souls from the external husks (Kelipot), and within that are the aspects of the angels of this world, which were created for the purpose of maintaining this world, such as causing the plants to grow etc. Within all of that, he possesses an aspect of a Neshamah level of soul from the souls of man. All these aspects are made to be a chariot (Merkavah) for the light and illumination that is drawn from the lights of the ten Sefirot of the world of Action-Asiyah, which manifest in the four elemental foundations in order to vitalize them, and they are the most inner of them all. The same likewise applies to the aspects within man that stem from the celestial spheres of the world of Action-Asiyah, as well as from the three worlds of Formation-Yetzirah, Creation-Briyah, and Emanation-Atzilut.",
"With the above in mind, we now can explain the answers to all the questions written at the beginning of this gate. For, the light of the source of souls, is more inner and loftier than the light of the source of the angels, and this is why the angels are in the service of the souls. For, it is through the souls that light and vitality is drawn to the angels from the ten Sefirot.",
"This is the meaning of the verse, “Behold, the heralding angels cried out from outside.” For, when sustenance is not drawn to the souls that are more inner than them, they too lack sustenance, being that they are external to them. This is why they cried out and mourned during the time of the destruction, since they are external to the souls. Moreover, this explains why the angels did not descend to manifest in a physical body in this world, because they necessarily would be destroyed by the judgements and shells of the Kelipot. This is because even the souls do not have the power to withstand the shells of the Kelipot. How much more is this so in regard to the angels. Proof of this is from the Nefillim who requested to descend to this world and were thus destroyed from the world and are wiped out of the coming future. An even greater reason is that because of their lesser state, they would be incapable of drawing influence to all the worlds, but could only do so from their level and out. Moreover, even this itself would not be possible, since they cannot draw sustenance to themselves except through the medium of the souls. Nevertheless, it is indeed true that a soul of the world of Formation-Yetzirah is lesser than an angel from the world of Creation-Briyah, and the same applies to all the worlds. However, a soul of the world of Creation-Briyah is greater than an angel of the world of Creation-Briyah, and the same applies to each of the worlds themselves.",
"Thus, the greatness of the soul has also been explained, since the soul is a light that is born of and drawn from the light of the ten Sefirot themselves, rather than through the medium of an intermediary. This is why the Jewish people are called, “the children to HaShem-יהו״ה our God.” For, they are in the aspect of a child who is entirely one with his father and is drawn forth from Him. About this, our sages, of blessed memory, said, “The forefathers [Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov] are the Supernal Chariot (Merkavah),” meaning that they are the vehicle for the light of the ten Sefirot, that rides directly upon them, rather than through the medium of any lesser light. This is the meaning of the verse, “You are My servant Israel, in whom I take pride.” For, a person’s garments are his pride, as written, “Like a bridegroom who adorns himself with pride, like a bride who bedecks herself with her jewelry.”",
"Now the light of the souls is a garment for the ten Sefirot. This is the meaning of the verse, “My Beloved has gone down to His garden,” referring to this world. The verse concludes, “To graze His sheep in the gardens, and to pick roses-Lir’ot BaGaneem v’Leelkot Shoshanim-לרעות בגנים וללקוט שושנים,” which forms the acrostic (Notarikon) “garment-Levush-לבוש.” For, he picks the souls of the righteous, who are as fragrant as roses because of their good deeds in this world. He picks them to manifests His light within them. This is the meaning of the verse, “You who adhere (HaDveikim-הדבקים) to HaShem-יהו״ה are all alive today,” referring to complete and direct adhesion (Dveikut) to the light of the ten Sefirot, which does not apply to any other creatures. This is as is written, “For just as a belt is fastened to a man’s loins, so I fastened the entire house of Israel to Myself.”",
"With all the above in mind, the matter of the good inclination (Yetzer HaTov) and the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa) within man, has also been explained and understood. For, these are two forms (Yetzirot) that were added to man in addition to his soul-Neshamah. The good inclination (Yetzer HaTov) is a radiance that comes from the light of the angels, whereas the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa) is a radiance that comes from the light of the external shells (Kelipot), and constitutes the external shell (Kelipah) of the good inclination (Yetzer HaTov).",
"However, the soul (Neshamah) of man is itself the innermost of them all. Thus, because it is innermost and also is called the essential self (Atzmut) of man, he therefore possesses the free choice to turn them to whichever place he desires, since he is greater than them all. His soul primarily leans toward the good inclination (Yetzer HaTov), since the good inclination is holy like himself. Moreover, it also is juxtaposed in close proximity to him. However, his body, primarily leans toward the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa), since both the body and the evil inclination are juxtaposed in close proximity to each other. Thus, it is primarily here that there is a battle between the substance (Chomer) and the soul (Neshamah). For, since the soul (Neshamah) can only fulfill the mitzvot through the medium of the body (Guf) which, in and of itself, primary leans toward the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa), it is here that there is great difficulty in subduing it.",
"We thus have explained that it is within the free choice of the soul (Neshamah) to lean toward the good inclination (Yetzer HaTov). However, because the soul requires the body (Guf) to act, great toil is necessary to subdue the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa). Understand all this very well. Also understand that after a person passes from this world, neither the soul (Neshamah) nor the body (Guf) are judged until they manifest together, as they were when he was alive, as our sages, of blessed memory, explained with the analogy of the lame man on the shoulders of the blind man.",
"We now will explain the answer to the first two questions, namely, why was it necessary for man to be created in this world with a soul and a body, and why are there two forms in him, the good inclination (Yetzer HaTov) and the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa). We also will answer the questions that arise from the verses, “Give strength to God,” and, “You have weakened the Rock who bore you,” and the like.",
"Now, at the outset of creation, all the worlds were created in the order mentioned above, and were brought into being by the power of the Unlimited One, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, by the power of His simple will, as an altruistic act of kindness. However, it subsequently is also necessary to continually draw forth sustenance, vitality and influence to all the worlds, in order to sustain their existence just as they were when they were created, and no more. This is like the verse, “I realized that whatever God does will endure forever: Nothing can be added to it and nothing can be subtracted from it.” It similarly states, “There is nothing new under the sun,” and, “On the seventh day God completed His work which He had done etc.,” all of which refer to the matter of creation itself.",
"Nevertheless, from that point forward, their deeds are necessary to draw forth their vitality, so that they can sustain themselves, similar to the matter of how when a child matures, he sustains himself and no longer eats at the table of his father. However, the ten Sefirot do not require man’s deeds, since all the influence that is necessary to sustain them when they were emanated, is constantly drawn to them from the Unlimited One, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. For, about the ten Sefirot the verse states, “Evil shall not abide with You,” in that they require no additional rectification through man’s deeds. However, this is not so of the created beings, including the aspect of the souls (Neshamot) and everything external to them, which are intermingled with good and evil. They therefore require deed and rectification.",
"Even so, from another angle, namely, when there is a diminishment in the bestowal of influence to the created beings, this gives the appearance that the power and ability of the ten Sefirot is diminished, God forbid to think that there is any actual diminishment, for one might err and think that this is why they do not bestow influence. Because of this the verse states, “You have weakened The Rock who bore you,” and the opposite, “Give strength to God.”",
"There is yet another reason, as follows: If a person is health and clean, he wants his garments to be as nice and luxurious as his stature and greatness. In the same manner, when the creatures are in a state of disrepair, the Sefirot themselves are reflected poorly and appear as if they are weakened, so to speak. This then, explains the verse, “Give strength to God,” or the verse, “You are My servant Israel, in whom I take pride,” mentioned above. We thus have answered the third question.",
"Now, in regard to why it was necessary to create man, who includes all the creations and emanations and binds all the worlds together until the very depth of the earth, this is because, as mentioned above, he is the closest being to receive influence from the ten Sefirot, and thus, through rectifying his deeds, he draws influence from the ten Sefirot to himself, and from him to the angels, and from the angels to the husks of Kelipah, so that he can rectify whatever is refinable in them, as will be explained regarding the matter of the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa), and from them he draws influence to the worlds themselves, which are the vessels and bodies of each particular world. On the other hand, if he sins, he then ruins all the worlds, God forbid.",
"We thus have clearly explained why man must be created in this lowly world, with a body and a soul, and with both a good inclination (Yetzer HaTov) and an evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa). Another related reason regarding the matter of the evil inclination, is that this inclination is essential to man, in that he must procreate and eat etc., all of which must be done in purity. This also is necessary to each and every world, to draw down influences that becomes tangible within them for the purpose of the vessels of that world, which are the actual worlds themselves. For, these influences are more refined than the vessels, and are themselves part and parcel of the levels of creation. Understand this well.",
"We thus find that it was necessary for man to be composed of all the worlds, and that they assist him in his deeds, to draws down influence, both to himself and to them. This is because, in and of themselves, they are powerless to draw down influence. Therefore, if man sins, all the worlds are ruined and punished by a diminishment of influence in them, being that they did not assist him in desisting from evil. Understand this well. This is the meaning of, “Evil will be entirely consumed in smoke,” being that the shells of Kelipah are the cause of sin more than any other levels. Therefore, their punishment is greatest. However, about the goodness that is extracted from them, the verse states, “And you shall love HaShem-יהו״ה your God with all your hearts (לבבך),” in the plural, meaning, “with both your inclinations.” This is because even the evil inclination can be refined. Nevertheless, about its dross, which is necessarily evil, the verse states, “As smoke is dispersed, so disperse them, as wax melts before a fire, so may the wicked perish from before God.”",
"We thus have explained that man includes all the worlds within himself, about which it is written, “For this is the whole of man.” This is also the inner meaning of the verse, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness,” and is why the word, “Let us make-Na’aseh-נעשה,” is in the plural form, since all worlds are partners, both in his making and in his deeds. Because of this, he includes the form of man (Adam-אדם) of all the worlds within himself, for they all are in need of his deeds. This is also the meaning of the verse, “HaShem-יהו״ה God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to work it and to guard it,” referring to the fulfillment of the positive commandments (to work it) and the negative commandments (to guard it). This is also the meaning of the verse, “For HaShem-יהו״ה God had not yet sent the rain upon the earth,” after which the verse continues and gives the reason, “because there was yet no man to work the earth.” This also is the meaning of the verse, “And I have placed My words in your mouth, and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to implant the heavens and to set a foundation for the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” For, it is man who draws life to the heavens and the earth through his deeds, and it therefore is as if he planted and founded them. This is why the verse concludes with the words, “You are My people (Ami Atah-עמי אתה),” which can be read, “You are with Me (Eemee Atah-עמי אתה),” which as our sages, of blessed memory stated, means “My partner.” That is, “I create them and you sustain them.”",
"With the above in mind, it should not be difficult for you to understand the matter of prophecy. This is in line with what our sages, of blessed memory, stated about the verse, “and to adhere to Him (L’Davkah Bo-לדבקה בו),” and the verse, “to Him you shall adhere (u’Vo Tidbak-ובו תדבק).” For, a prophet adheres to HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, by drawing down prophecy and influence to the lower worlds, as stated by the Ramban and all the commentators, of blessed memory. Thus, this in no way is astonishing, since as explained, no light has greater adhesion to the light of the ten Sefirot than the light of the source of the souls, and this is the meaning of the verse, “You who adhere (Dveikim-דבקים) to HaShem-יהו״ה your God are all alive today.”"
],
[
"Gate Three",
"The Hindrances to Prophecy",
"In the previous gate it was explained that it should be easy for a person to prophecy, since he includes all the worlds within himself and they all are sustained by his deeds. In fact, what arises from everything we said, is that contrary to popular belief, prophecy must necessarily be found in the world, so that man will straighten and repair his deeds and thus draw beneficence to all worlds, so that they will not be nullified out of existence, God forbid. This is as written, “In a dream, a vision of the night, when a deep sleep falls over people, during slumbers on the bed, then He uncovers people’s ears and seals their affliction, to divert a person from his planned action and to suppress pride from man.”",
"All these worlds would not exist were it not for the spirit of prophecy that rested upon our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, who brought the Torah, which sustains the worlds, down from heaven. This is as written, “Thus says HaShem-יהו״ה: Were it not for My Covenant day and night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth,” meaning that without the Torah, the worlds would have been destroyed, God forbid. All the prophets followed in his path, to straighten the nation and to illuminate their eyes with the wisdom of Torah and its secrets, through the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) of Divine inspiration that manifested in them.",
"We thus find that prophecy (Nevuah) and the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) must necessarily be found in the world, and are easy to attain, on condition that there are people who are fitting for it. However, this is impossible for a blemished soul. We therefore must explain what obstructs this.",
"When the influence of the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) is roused to descend to man and dwell upon him, if he is a sinner, the evil inclination (Yetzer) causes there to be a dark veil that separates between his intellectual soul (Nefesh HaSeechleet) and the source of the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh). About this the verse states, “Rather, only your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your transgressions have caused Him to hide His face from you etc.” Thus, the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) of Divine Inspiration does not rest upon him, because of transgressing the 365 prohibitions that blemish the intellectual soul (Nefesh HaSeechleet), as discussed in section of one of this book.",
"Moreover, even if the blemish is only caused by not fulfilling any of the 248 positive commandments, which he could have done, but did not do, he is a “Baal Moom – a blemished person,” and Supernal beneficence is not drawn to his intellectual soul (Nefesh HaSeechleet), being that there is a limb or organ that is ruined and he is a blemished person. However, if the blemish is below, in the elemental soul (Nefesh HaYesodeet), whether because of the bad character traits of his animate soul (Nefesh Chayah) or whether because of having eaten forbidden foods, which cause his vegetative soul (Nefesh HaTzomachat) to be repulsive and the like, then the lower power will not be roused to draw down Supernal beneficence, and itself becomes a separating veil there. There then will be no arousal from below to ascend and draw down beneficence from Above to below.",
"We thus find that there are various kinds of separating veils. There could be a separating veil between the vegetative soul (Nefesh HaTzomachat) and that which is above it, because of the blemish of having eaten forbidden foods, which gave vitality to his vegetative soul (Nefesh HaTzomachat). It could be because of bad character traits or sins that are motivated by lust that arouses and blemishes the animate soul (Nefesh HaChayah). If they are sins of speech, they blemish the speaking soul (Nefesh HaMedaberet) from which they stem, and if they are sins of thought, they blemish the intellectual soul (Nefesh HaSeechleet). Now, understand that as we already explained, all these blemishes are only in that particular spark of that particular soul, in each particular level of each particular world. At times, if the blemishes have become strengthened by force of habit, because of the above-mentioned separating veil, the bond of that soul can become cut off from the body of the tree, which is called, “the light of the source of the souls.” This is the inner meaning of what our sages, of blessed memory, stated, “The wicked are called ‘dead’ even while they are alive.”",
"Now, as already explained, not all blemishes are equal. There are blemishes that effect the vegetative soul (Tzomachat), there are blemishes that effect the animate soul (Chayah), there are blemishes that effect the speaking soul (Medaberet) and there are blemishes that effect the intellectual soul (Seechleet). However, regarding the matter of drawing down the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) and receiving Divine inspiration, it makes no difference where the blemish is. As long as there is blemish, the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) will not be drawn down and he will have no Divine inspiration at all. Therefore, whosoever comes to purify himself, must ensure that all levels of his soul are as clean and pure as clear glass, free of any sicknesses of the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa) in all levels of his soul. About this Moshe was told, “Remove your shoes from your feet.” That is, he was told that all the limbs of his body and all the powers of his soul, on all the above-mentioned levels, down to the soles of his feet, must be refined and pure, empty of any dross of the coarse and gross substance, as mentioned in Sefer Tikkunim. That is, there should not remain any of the contamination of the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa) in him whatsoever, but rather, only its good portion, which has been extracted and refined, should remain, meaning, that which is necessary to sustain the body and nothing more. There then is no obstruction or hinderance to separate between the powers of the soul and their source in the light of the source of the souls, which adheres to the source of the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) in the light of the ten Sefirot.",
"We have thus explained that blemish causes two evils. The first is that the yearning and desire of the lower being cannot ascend to the source of the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh), and as a result, the Supernal Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) also cannot spread down to the lower being. All this comes about because of the veil caused by transgression, as mentioned before. Now, the blemish is caused by force of the strong bond between the inanimate body of the inanimate soul (Nefesh HaDomem) which is extremely bonded to the body itself, since the body is the vessel and vehicle through which the soul manifests all its various powers. However, it is not necessarily so that all the powers of the soul are found in every blemish. That is, there are blemishes that damage the vegetative aspect (Tzomachat), there are those that damage the animate aspect (Chayah), there are those that damage the speaking aspect (Medaberet) and those that damage the intellectual aspect (Seechleet), as mentioned before. However, since they all come about through the agency of the powers of the inanimate soul (Nefesh HaDomemet) and the body (Guf), therefore every kind of sin in the world involves and blemishes the inanimate soul and the body."
],
[
"Gate Four",
"The Conditions to attaining Prophecy",
"We will now explain the conditions to attaining prophecy with great brevity. It was already explained that there are blemishes that damage the vegetative soul (Tzomachat), those that damage the animate soul (Chayah), those that damage the speaking soul (Medaberet) and those that damage the intellectual soul (Seechleet), and that one must refine them all. This being so, the first thing he must do is repent from every kind of sin or negative character trait, with complete repentance, and never return to them whatsoever. Afterwards, he must be careful in fulfilling all the 248 positive commandments that are possible to fulfill in our days, as explained in the first part of this book. Most particularly, he must set fixed times for the study of Torah, day and night, and should not diminish or depart from them, even for a single day. He should pray three times daily with complete devotional intent (Kavanah). He must honor the Shabbat in all its details. He should fulfill the mitzvah of loving his fellow Jew wholeheartedly and should fulfill the mitzvot of reciting the Shema and don Tzitzit and Tefillin when he prays.",
"Afterwards, he should be cautious not to sin in any of the 365 prohibitive mitzvot, even in the stringencies enacted by the sages. He must especially avoid the transgression of any sins for which the punishment is excision (Karet), death by the hands of heaven, or death by the hands of the earthly court. He certainly must guard himself from transgressing any negative commandments, but should be especially careful with the following: Gossip, evil speech, idle chatter, mockery and frivolity, gazing at women, any manner of forbidden seminal emission, distancing himself from his wife during her menstrual period, any oaths even if they are true, and above all, keeping the Shabbat.",
"He likewise should guard himself from any indecent character traits, for they contaminate his elemental soul. He should particularly guard himself from haughtiness and arrogance to the utmost degree, to the point that he should be like the lower stoop upon which everyone treads. Lowliness should literally be embedded in his heart, to the point that he neither feels any joy when honored, nor any disgrace when shamed. The two should literally be equal in his eyes. Moreover, he should utterly distance himself from anger, to the point that even if someone slaps his face, he does not become angered. This is because nothing obstructs the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) more than anger. He likewise should utterly distance himself from pedantry, even in relation to members of his own household. Similarly, he should utterly avoid sadness and depression, being that prophecy cannot rest upon a person who is sad and depressed, even if he is worthy of it. He should rather be happy with his lot, even when suffering befalls him, as explained about the verse, “And you shall love HaShem-יהו״ה your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your being.”",
"After all this, he should engage in the study of Torah completely for its sake (Lishmah), doing so with all his strength, solely to bring delight to the One who formed him. When engaging in the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the mitzvot, he should be joyous to the ultimate extreme, as written, “I rejoice in Your words like one who has discovered vast treasure,” for, through this, he draws down beneficence to all the worlds. Of primary importance over everything, is to fear HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. This should be constant, at every moment, and he thus will be free of sin. This is accomplished by literally placing HaShem-יהו״ה before his very eyes at every moment, as written, “I have set HaShem-יהו״ה before me always.” He should actively focus his thoughts on HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, adhering them to Him unceasingly, without stopping for even a moment. This is the meaning of the verse, “to adhere to Him (L’Davkah Bo-לדבקה בו),” and the verse, “to Him you shall adhere (u’Vo Tidbak-ובו תדבק).”"
],
[
"Gate Five",
"The Nature of Prophecy and what it is",
"We already explained that there is one light, in the form of man (Adam-אדם), that spreads forth in all four worlds of Emanation, Creation, Formation, and Action (Atzilut, Briyah, Yetzirah, Asiyah), until the end of the four foundational elements of this lowly world. This light adheres to the lights of Supernal Man, which is called the ten Sefirot, and they manifest within the light that is called, “the light of the source of the souls,” within which all the lower souls are included. When they descend to this world to manifest in bodies, they leave their roots, from where they were hewn, which remain in a state of adhesion above, and only the branches of those roots alone descend in a manner of spreading down. These aspects alone manifest in bodies in this world. This is compared to the branches of a tree that are bound to the tree and adhere to it, and are literally rooted in the trunk of the tree. Nonetheless, they extend and bend down, to the point that even though they are attached to the trunk of the tree, they touch the ground. When a person commits a sin for which he is liable of excision (Karet), that branch becomes severed from the body of the tree and remains separate from it. It thus remains fixed in this world like the spirit of an animal. This is the meaning of the verse, “For he scorned the word of HaShem-יהו״ה and broke His commandment; that person will surely be cut off, his sin is upon him.” This is also the inner meaning of the words, “For man is the tree of the field.”",
"This is also the meaning of those verses that relate to the righteous, in which their name is doubled. For example, “Avraham, Avraham,” and, “Yaakov, Yaakov,” and “Moshe, Moshe.” That is, one of these names corresponds to the aspect of the root that remains above in adhesion to the tree, and this aspect is called the flow from above (Mazal) of a person. This is as our sages, of blessed memory, related, that Moshe saw the flow from above (Mazal) of Rabbi Akiva sitting and expounding the thorns of the letters. For, it is from there that the beneficence flows to the branch that descended to manifest in the body.",
"Now, the root is very lofty and is at the very beginning and heights of the world of Emanation-Atzilut. The branch is very long and spreads down through all the worlds, until its end manifests within the body. In each level of each world, it sets a root, so that there is not a single soul that does not have roots to no end, one above the other, in all levels of all the worlds, and through man’s deeds he merits to elevate them all. That is, all the levels of the world of Action-Asiyah, the roots that he leaves there, are altogether called a single, complete soul-Nefesh of the world of Action-Asiyah. The same likewise applies to all the other levels.",
"With the above in mind, the matter of prophecy (Nevuah) becomes understood. For, when a person is in a refined state, free of the contamination of the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa) and the powers of his elemental soul (Nefesh HaYesodeet) are completely unaffected by the evil inclination, nor does he have any sins that blemish any of the roots of his soul, if he then prepares himself to adhere to the most supernal root of his soul, he has the ability to do so. Nevertheless, even though he may be fitting that the spirit of prophecy (Nevuah) should rest upon him, he nonetheless must utterly divest and separate himself from all matters of gross substance and physicality. He will then be able to adhere to his spiritual soul root.",
"Now, this divestment, as discussed in holy books on the matter of prophecy and the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh), is not a literal divestment, in that his soul does not actually depart from his body as it does during sleep, for if so, it is not prophecy (Nevuah), but merely a dream, like any other dream. In contrast, when the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) rests upon man, his soul is manifest within his body in a conscious waking state, and does not depart from him.",
"Rather, what is meant by divestment here, is that he removes all of his own thoughts completely. That is, though he has the power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) in him, which is drawn from his animate soul (Nefesh HaChayah), he causes this power to stop imagining, thinking or ruminating over any matters of this lowly world, as if his soul has left him. He then transforms the power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) of his thoughts and directs it to depict his ascent, as though he is ascending in the roots of his soul in the upper worlds, ascending from one level to the next, until his power of depiction arrives at its Supernal source. The forms of all these lights should be engraved in his thoughts, just as he sees when his power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) pictures matters of this world in his mind. That is, though he does not actually see them, he sees them in his mind, as known in the natural sciences.",
"He should then have intention to receive light and illumination from the ten Sefirot, particularly from that point where his soul is bound, which is the root of his soul. He also should have the intention of elevating the ten Sefirot, causing them to ascend one to the other, until they reach the Unlimited One, HaShem-יהו״ה Himself, blessed is He, and then draw illumination from there, in a manner of descent, all the way down until they reach the very end, here below. When light is drawn down to the Sefirot by his hand, they greatly rejoice, and become illuminated by the light that he drew down from the root of his soul, which is bound with them, according to the measure that is appropriate to it.",
"He then should intend to descend from level to level until the light and bestowal of influence reaches his intellectual soul (Nefesh HaSeechleet) in his body, and from there, it reaches his animate soul (Nefesh HaChayah) and his power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh). His power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) will then depict these matters in physical form and he will understand them as though he literally saw them with his physical eyes.",
"At times, this light will descend and be depicted in his power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) as the appearance of an angel who speaks to him, and he sees him or hears his voice and the like, with one of the known refined senses of the power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) of the soul. From there, they will be transferred and copied by the five external senses, since they too are part of the animate soul (Nefesh HaChayah), as known. At such times he will see, hear, smell or speak with his actual physical senses, as written, “The spirit of HaShem-יהו״ה spoke within me and His word is upon my tongue.” For, that light will materialize and be given form by the physical senses. At other times, his prophecy may solely be through the five spiritual senses of the power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) alone. All these matters happen when the power of imagination becomes completely divested and emptied of coarse material thoughts, as mentioned above.",
"We thus find that prophecy, though different, is similar to a dream, in which one’s intellectual soul departs from him and ascends above, going from level to level, and from there he sees and gazes, after which he returns to descend and bestow this light to the animate soul (Nefesh HaChayah), this being the soul that has the power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh). It is there, in the animate soul (Nefesh HaChaya) that the matters that he perceived become further materialized and depicted. Then, when a person awakens, the soul recalls those matters through the power of retention (Ko’ach HaShomer) and the power of memory (Ko’ach HaZocher), which also are part of the animate soul (Nefesh HaChayah), as known in the natural sciences.",
"We thus have clearly explained the matter of prophecy and the matter of dreams. That is, prophecy occurs while the soul is still conscious within his body, whereas dreams occur when the soul departs and is not conscious within the body. Nevertheless, in prophecy itself, there are two types.",
"The first type is the prophecy of all prophets other than our teacher Moshe. Namely, when the light is bestowed, and in its descent, reaches the intellectual soul (Nefesh HaSeechleet) of the prophet, and from there descends to his animate soul (Nefesh HaChayah), and there to depict with the five inner senses of his power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh), his external senses would shudder and tremble, causing him to collapse. This is because his external physical senses do not have the capacity to receive such a light or to depict it in physical form. Such prophecy is called a dream (Chalom), even though, as we mentioned above, it actually is not a dream. An example of such prophecy is the verse, “And a deep sleep fell upon Avram.”",
"The second type of prophecy is complete and perfected, in which one’s physical senses do not shudder or collapse at all. Rather, the matter is depicted within him in a settled manner. This was the level of prophecy of our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him. The reason is because, due to the holiness of his deeds, since his physical substance was so completely refined, it was actually transformed and ascended to the level of the soul (Nefesh). This is because he entirely removed contamination from himself and all that remained was the refined and good aspect of both his elemental soul and his body, being that it is only in them that there is an aspect of physicality, which is not so of the intellectual soul and higher.",
"Now, we already explained that the soul of man possesses roots to no end. Thus, according to the level from where his soul was hewn, will be his power to draw down the beneficence of his prophecy. Nevertheless, even if the root from where his soul was hewn is extremely lofty, if he has not rectified and refined all of the levels from there down, he only will be able to draw the influence of his prophecy from that level that he has rectified and refined, and no higher. This being the case, it should be clearly understood that there are many levels, to no end, amongst the prophets.",
"However, do not think that since we explained that the soul of a prophet does not depart from his body, then what grasp can he possibly have in his thought of the intangible, to ascend and be able to open the gates etc., for this is understood according to what I wrote above. Namely, that the soul is like a very long branch that spreads down from its root where it adheres to the tree, and from there it descends all the way down to one’s body, and by way of that line, which is always drawn down, he can ascend. That is, when a person yearns to ascend to his root, then the light of his thought – which is called the comprehended intellect (Mooskal) – ascends from the thinker (Maskeel), which is the intellectual soul (Nefesh HaMaskelet), to the intellect itself (Sechel), which is the upper root of his soul. Through the thought and conceptualization, itself, which is the influence that is drawn down from the intellect (Sechel) to the thinker (Maskeel), they adhere to each other and become one. We thus find that the comprehended intellect (Mooskal) is the light and influence itself, which descends from the intellect (Sechel) to the intellectual soul (Nefesh HaMaskelet). This tangible influence and light itself, is the matter called thought (Machshavah). Understand this well, for I am not telling you this in vain. For, if you think that this is not so, you thereby have rendered everything that relates to the devotional intentions that one is meant to have during prayer meaningless, as well as rendering all the thoughts and ruminations of man meaningless, be they good or evil.",
"We thus have explained that prophecy is both necessary and possible, and that it is like a person who holds on to the end of a branch of a tree that is bent down, shaking it strongly, so that the whole tree shakes. However, know that the Supernal aspects are not shaken by the thoughts of man, except if he is fitting to draw down an even the higher light to them. In which case, by virtue of their great joy, they too draw down light to him from that supernal light. If, however, he in unfitting and does not have the ability to draw down the Supernal light to them, then they take no consideration of him whatsoever, nor do they desire to come close to him and assist him by drawing his thoughts Above, being that his thoughts are empty and of no benefit."
],
[
"Gate Six",
"The Levels of Prophecy",
"We now must understand the matter of the prophecy (Nevu’ah) in earlier generations, and the matter of the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) and Divine inspiration that can be attained even in our times.",
"The explanation of the matter is that the prophecy of the prophets was as follows: We explained before that the four worlds are called Emanation, Creation, Formation and Action (Atzilut, Briyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah), and that below them all is this lowly world, which is divided into the four elemental foundations, including the elemental foundations themselves and their elemental soul powers, and that they are divided in a manner similar to the ten Sefirot.",
"We also explained that in each world there is an inner light, which is their ten Sefirot, and that external to them is the light of the source of the souls, and external to that is the light of the source of the angels, and external to that is the dark light, which is the source of the shells (Kelipot), and external to that is the world itself, which are the firmaments of that world. We explained that the same is so of this lowly world, literally. For, the substance of the four elemental foundations constitutes the body of the world, and within it are the other lights, each one of which includes the four aspects of the elemental soul.",
"We also explained that there are numerous levels to no end, since each Sefirah includes ten, and each of those include ten etc., so that each world has innumerable levels to no end.",
"The manner of prophecy itself was also explained in the fifth gate. Namely, it was explained that the thoughts of the prophet become divested of matters of the world and ascend from level to level, from below to above, until he reaches the place where the root of his soul adheres. He then intends to elevate the light of the Sefirot to the Unlimited One, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, and to draw down light from there. He then returns and brings it down from above to below, within the levels by which he ascended, until it reaches down to his intellectual soul (Nefesh HaSeechleet), which takes its portion of that light according to the measure of the bond of the root of his soul above. Then, from there, he draws it down further to the power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) of his animate soul (Nefesh Chayah). There the matter becomes depicted in the inner senses of the power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) or in its external, physical senses.",
"Now, in regard to the drawing down of that thought, it certainly did not ascend by itself, but only through known intentions (Kavanot) and unifications (Yichudim) that were transmitted to him by the prophet who is his teacher in prophecy. This is the matter of the students of the prophets, as we find with Shmuel, Eliyahu and Elisha, who are remembered for good. That is, the students of the prophets were trained, so that through the unifications (Yichudim) that they would make, they would draw down light and influence according to HaShem’s-יהו\"ה will, which is the ultimate aspect of prophecy.",
"There also were two additional things that they taught them. These were prayers and the names of the angels who guard the gates of the firmaments and chambers of each world, from the very lowest of all worlds, which are the four elemental foundations and their atmospheres, all the way to the uppermost heights of the world of Emanation-Atzilut. This is as discussed in Zohar to Parshat Vayakhel 201b, regarding the matter of the ascent of prayers, and is also mentioned in Pirkei Heichalot and their Beraitot. They first would use these names to open the gates of that level, and would then make the unification (Yichud) and pray the prayer appropriate to that level, thus ascending from level to level, until they reached their upper root, where they would rest. They would then draw their thoughts to the Unlimited One, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, and then draw the influence down below, as mentioned before.",
"The explanation of the matter of the gates and names, is that they would use the power of a holy name that relates to the Sefirah of that level, to bind by oath, the angel that is rooted to that level. That angel is appointed to guard the gate of that firmament itself, which is the substance (Chomer) of that level, and the gate also has a known name, which the angel would open. The thought of that prophet would then ascend by way of that gate from one light to the next light, until it reached the inner light of the Sefirah of that level itself. He would then pray and make the unification (Yichud) needed for that level, and in this manner, he would ascend from level to level.",
"This itself is the explanation of the visions of Yechezkel, which are called the Act of the Chariot (Ma’aseh Merkavah-מעשה מרכבה), in that the levels are compositions (Harkavot-הרכבות) that are composed (Murkavot-מורכבות) one upon the other. At the beginning of his prophecy “the heavens opened,” these being the gates of the firmaments, which are the lights that are manifest within the substance (Chomer) and vessels (Keilim) of that world. From there, he entered into the realm of the external shells of Kelipah, as written, “I saw, and behold! There was a stormy wind coming from the north, a great cloud with flashing fire, and a brilliance surrounding it.”",
"This is similar to what is written in Hoshea, “The initial speech of HaShem-יהו״ה with Hoshea,” meaning, at the beginning of the revelation of the speech of prophecy, there first was a revelation of the external shells of Kelipah and her powers. They are the, “wife of harlotry and the children of harlotry,” as mentioned in the continuation of the verse.",
"Nevertheless, because he was “in heaven” he was also in a state of adhesion and prophetic gazing, as written, “The heavens opened and I saw visions of God.” However, when he arrived at the place of the external shells of Kelipah, he had no pleasure in adhering to them, but rather tore through and passed them by, without adhering to them, but only seeing them in passing, to the extent necessary. This is the meaning of what it states about Eliyahu, who is remembered for good, “And behold, HaShem-יהו״ה was passing, and a great powerful wind, smashing mountains and breaking rocks, went before HaShem-יהו״ה. ‘HaShem-יהו״ה is not in the wind!’ [Eliyahu was told]. After the wind came an earthquake. ‘HaShem-יהו״ה is not in the earthquake!’ After the earthquake came a fire. ‘HaShem-יהו״ה is not in the fire.’”",
"From there he entered into the realm of the light of the angels, as known. For, between each light there is a screen (Pargod) that separates them. This is a hidden mystery that relates to “the Chashmal-חשמ״ל-378,” which shares the same numerical value as “garment-Malbush-מלבוש-378,” and refers to the vessel (Klee) and substance (Chomer) of the lights of the angels. May HaShem-יהו״ה bring me atonement for revealing this hidden secret.",
"He then saw the ten classes of angels, all of which are divided into the four Chayot (animal) angels, and the four camps of the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה (the Shechinah). About this the verse states, “In their midst there was a likeness of four Chayot (animals).” He then entered further until he reached the light of the ten Sefirot themselves, as it states, “Upon the likeness of the throne, there was the likeness of the appearance a man (Adam-אדם) upon it from above.” The throne itself is the light of the source of the souls, and is the meaning of the teaching, “Our forefathers are themselves the chariot (Merkavah).” This is why the soul is called “glory-Kavod-כבוד,” as written, “So that my soul (Kavod-כבוד) might sing to You and not be stilled, HaShem-יהו״ה my God,” and similarly, “How long will my soul (Kvodi-כבודי) be mocked etc.”",
"Behold, I have revealed a very deep secret to you that includes the whole matter of the Chariot (Merkavah) in general, something that the earlier generations did not merit us with. Now, it was already explained before in the fifth gate, that not all prophets draw from the same root, since there are roots to no end; six-hundred thousand in each world. About this our sages, of blessed memory, said, “Six hundred thousand prophets arose amongst the Jewish people, and our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, includes them all and is equal to them all.”",
"Nevertheless, I will explain their levels in general. Our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, would ascend all the way to the world of Emanation-Atzilut, and from there he saw. However, even his perception was only of the world of Emanation-Atzilut as it becomes garbed in the world of Creation-Briyah, and this too, he only saw in a passing manner. For, to grasp the world of Emanation-Atzilut itself is impossible, which is the inner meaning of the verse, “For no man can see Me and live.” The other prophets, on the other hand, would only see the world of Emanation-Atzilut through its complete manifestation within the lights of the world of Creation-Briyah.",
"However, the prophecy of Yechezkel was after the destruction of the Temple, and therefore his prophecy was of the world of Emanation-Atzilut, after its manifestation in the world of Creation-Briyah and the world of Creation-Briyah, as it was completely manifest within the world of Formation-Yetzirah. From that point on, the light of the worlds of Emanation-Atzilut and Creation-Briyah were not revealed at all. About this our sages, of blessed memory, said that after Chagai, Zachariah, and Malachi, prophecy ceased altogether. Rather, all that remains is the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) of Divine inspiration, which is only the drawing down of the lights of the world of Formation-Yetzirah themselves, and from there down. In the language of the Talmud, this is called, “ascending to the Pardes,” which is the world of Formation-Yetzirah and is called the world of Metatron-מטטרו״ן. For this too, there were known methods of opening the gates that exist between the lowly world of Action-Asiyah and the world of Formation-Yetzirah, and there were unifications (Yichudim) and prayers (Tefillot) appropriate to the world of Formation-Yetzirah and its ten Sefirot.",
"Now, these are the methods of Pirkei Heichalot, used by Rabbi Nechunia, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Yishmael, and the Men of the Great Asssembly (Anshei Knesset HaGedolah). However, the manner of these methods was subsequently forgotten as well. Additionally, in the time of Rava and Abaye, who were Amora’im, they also lost the ability to become purified through the ashes of the Red Heifer, as mentioned in Talmud. Thus, from that point on, they no longer made use of the methods of ascending into the Pardes.",
"From then on, they only made use of the methods of ascending to the world of Action-Asiyah, and nothing more. However, because Action-Asiyah is the lowest of the four world, and additionally, because the angels of the world of Action-Asiyah themselves are composed of a majority of evil with a minority of good, and moreover, because the good and evil in them greatly adhere to each other, therefore there is no Godly comprehension and grasp in the world of Action-Asiyah, being that it is impossible to only grasp the good in it. Therefore, whatever grasp there is, is an admixture of good and evil, truth and false.",
"This refers to the secrets of the Kabbalah of Action (Kabbalah Ma’aseet). (This is written about in various books, and is called the Kabbalah of Action-Kabbalah Ma’aseet because it is in the world of Action-Asiyah.) It is specifically because of this that it is forbidden to make use of it. For, in doing so, one necessarily also comes to adhere to the evil that adheres to the good. Thus, though in his mind he thinks he is coming to purify his soul, in actually, he causes his soul to become dirty and soiled on account of the evil. Moreover, even if he does come to have some grasp, in reality, he grasps an admixture of truth mixed with error. This is especially so nowadays, when we do not have the ashes of the Red Heifer, and the impurities of the shells of Kelipah adhere to whoever attempts to come close by way of the Kabbalah of Action (Kabbalah Ma’aseet). Therefore, whoever cares about his soul will distance himself from this. For, aside for the fact that he will contaminate himself and cause impurity upon his soul, he will also be punished in Purgatory (Gehinom). Moreover, he will even be punished in this world, as we have a received tradition in our hands, that either he or his offspring will become impoverished, or he or his offspring will be afflicted with illness, or he or his offspring will become apostates, heaven forbid.",
"Take reproof from the case of Rabbi Yosef de la Reina and Rabbi Shlomo Molcho, who made use of the Kabbalah of Action (Kabbalah Ma’aseet). In the end they were lost from the world, all because of the above-mentioned reason, that in the world of Action-Asiyah there cannot be a grasp of good that is not accompanied by evil. Moreover, they made them take oaths against their will, and then enticed and deceived them into paths that are the opposite of goodness, to the point that their souls were destroyed.",
"Beyond all these reasons, the early sages concealed the manner of how to bind the angels by oaths, and as a result, we are not expert in them or in their usage. It therefore is appropriate for a person to distance himself from such matters to the ultimate degree."
],
[
"Gate Seven",
"The conduct of the holy spirit of Divine Inspiration (Ru’ach HaKodesh) in our times",
"After having warned you in the preceding gate regarding all the above-mentioned methods of Godly grasp, do not give up hope. For, about the verse, “Devorah, the wife of Lapidot, was a prophetess,” it states in Tana d’Bei Eliyahu, “I take the heavens and the earth as my witnesses; any person, be they man or woman, be they Jew or gentile, even if they are a servant or a maid, depending on that person’s deeds, the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) of Divine inspiration will rest upon him.”",
"Moreover, we ourselves have heard with our ears and have seen with our own eyes, that there are singular individuals who have grasped the level of the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) in our own times. They could tell the future and had wisdom that was not revealed even in generations that preceded ours. Thus, in order not to forsake those who are coming to the holy for the sake of sanctifying themselves, I will explain various matters and I shall make an opening the size of the eye of a needle. HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, who is good, will not withhold His goodness from those who go in purity and wholeheartedness. With the help of HaShem-יהו\"ה, blessed is He, I will first write several matters regarding the paths of grasping Godliness, and in the eighth gate I will write a regimen of how to conduct oneself in their attainment.",
"Now, the choicest of all paths is what we wrote about above, citing Tanna d’Bei Eliyahu, who is remembered for good. This is the path that the ancient Chassidim and hermits followed. Namely, one should return to HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, with a very great repentance-Teshuvah over everything that he ruined. Afterwards, he should perfect his soul through fulfilling the positive commandments and should have the utmost devotional intent (Kavanah) in his prayers. Moreover, he should study Torah for its own sake (Lishmah), doing so with zeal and like an ox to the yoke, to the point that his strength is weakened. Moreover, he should minimize his pleasures, such as only eating and drinking enough to maintain his health. He should rise from his bed at midnight or slightly earlier, and also distance himself from any unbecoming character traits. Likewise, he should separate himself from others, so as to not engage in mundane matters such as idle chatter. Subsequently, he should work to purify his body, regularly immersing himself in the ritual bath (Mikvah). Afterwards, he should occasionally go into seclusion, and at such times, contemplate specifically on matters that bring to fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. He should set HaShem-יהו״ה before his eyes constantly, and should take care to ensure that his thoughts remain entirely empty of all of vanities of this lowly world. Instead, he should adhere to love of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, with great yearning and desire. Through this, he can possibly merit the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) and be Divinely inspired in one of the following ways.",
"The first is that he may draw a supernal light upon himself from the upper root of his soul, which becomes revealed to him, as mentioned in the fifth gate. This is the complete manifestation of the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) of Divine inspiration.",
"The second is through engaging in Torah study or fulfilling a particular mitzvah, about which our sages, of blessed memory, explained, “Whoever fulfills one commandment, acquires one advocate for himself,” meaning that an angel is formed by it, in the most literal sense. However, this is on condition that he fulfills it constantly and does so with much devotional intent (Kavanah), being careful to fulfill it meticulously according to Torah law (Halachah). In such a case, the angel that was formed through the mitzvah or the Torah study can come and be revealed to him. This explains the matter found in various holy books about angels who are revealed to the righteous and are called Maggidim (talkers). The caveat to this, is that if the mitzvah was not fulfilled meticulously, precisely according to its laws (Halachah), the Maggid angel will have a mixture of good and evil, truth and false.",
"The third is that through conducting himself in the above-mentioned path of great piety (Chassidut), Eliyahu the prophet, who is remembered for good, will be revealed to him. To the extent of the growth and development of his piety (Chassidut) will be the extent and growth of the frequency and constancy of his revelation.",
"The fourth, and the greatest of them all, is when he merits that the soul of one of the early righteous-Tzaddikim comes to be revealed to him. As known, this Tzaddik could possibly be of the same root as his soul, or even if he is from another root, he becomes revealed to him because he fulfilled a particular mitzvah in a perfected manner, similar to how this Tzaddik fulfilled it. Whoever merits this level will grasp in a wondrous manner, in that deep wisdom and hidden secrets of Torah will be made known to him to the point of wondrousness. All this is according to his deeds.",
"The fifth and the lowest of them all, is that he will have dreams in which matters of the future and other supernal wisdom will be revealed to him, in a manner that is close to the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) of Divine inspiration.",
"Now, the path we have set forth is a straightforward path, being that one is not engaging in any oaths, nor is he attempting to force matters Above. Rather, they are attained solely through the power of good deeds and holiness. It thus is certain that if one follows this path, the pure and Holy Spirit of Ru’ach HaKodesh will rest upon him, without any admixture of good and evil whatsoever. However, this is not so if a person attempts to force matters Above, or seeks to make use of oaths or prayers and unifications (Yichudim), wherein if he even makes the slightest error, he can possibly be inviting external matters to become intermingled.",
"There indeed are additional methods that are accomplished through action, which will be explained in Part Four. However, their purpose is to awaken and draw one of the five above-mentioned types of revelation upon himself, even if they have not come of their own accord. However, these methods require tremendous holiness and purity, in order to avoid any of the above-mentioned intermingling. However, know that it is the first path that the ancient Chassidim trod upon, even in the early generations. This is as written by the Ramban, of blessed memory, in explanation of the scriptural words, “to adhere to Him,” as well as in the Holy Letter that he composed, in the fifth chapter, in explanation of the statement that, “Ben Azai would sit and study surrounded by flaming fire.”"
],
[
"Gate Eight",
"A short summary of the conducts that bring to the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) of Divine Inspiration in our times",
"One must refine himself in five levels of refinement:",
"The first is to repent of all of his sins, whether he violated commandments that are prohibitions, whether he abstained from fulfilling positive commandments, whether he violated any Rabbinic ordinances, or whether he has undesirable character traits, and he should never again return to them. He should especially repent and distance himself from all matters for which one is liable with excision (Karet) or the death penalty, and from desecrating the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. He should keep the Shabbat meticulously, distance himself from his wife during her menstrual period (Nidah) and guard himself from any manner of seminal emission. He should distance himself from all oaths, even if they are true, from gazing at women, from evil speech and gossip, and from frivolity and idle chatter. Moreover, he should distance himself from arrogance, anger, pedantry and melancholy, and should instead conduct himself with humility and lowliness, and be happy in his lot.",
"The second refinement is in his fulfillment of all 248 positive Torah commandments, as well as the Rabbinic enactments. He should be especially scrupulous in setting times for the study of Torah, pray with devotional intent (Kavanah), and recite grace after meals and all blessings for things from which one derives benefit (Birchat HaNehenin) with devotional intent. He should love every Jew like the apple of his eye, and honor Shabbat in all its details. Every night, he should rise after midnight to mourn for Jerusalem and the Holy Temple, and engage in the study of Torah. Moreover, all his deeds should be for the sake of Heaven, with love of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He.",
"The third refinement is that he should affix times to prepare and sanctify himself for the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh).",
"The fourth refinement is to purify his body through regular immersion in the ritual bath (Mikvah), and to wear clean garments.",
"The fifth refinement is that at such times that he prepares himself to receive the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh), after having engrained all the good character traits within himself, to the point that he has acquired them as his own, he should enter into solitude in a secluded house, where he will be undisturbed by the voices of other people or by the chirping of the birds, and he should do so in a state of purity and holiness, The most preferable and auspicious time for this is after midnight. He should then close his eyes and divest his thoughts of all matters of this world, as though his soul has left him, so that he is like a dead person who no longer has any feelings for this world at all. He should then strengthen himself with great yearning and desire to think about matters of the upper world, and to bring his soul to adhere to the roots of his soul and the supernal upper lights of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. He should picture it to himself as if his soul has left him and is ascending above, and he should picture the upper worlds as though he is actually present within them. If he makes a unification (Yichud), he should think about it in such a manner, that through it, he draws down Godly light and influence to all the worlds, and he should have in mind that he too should receive his portion of it, lastly. He should seclude himself in thought, as though the spirit has somewhat rested upon him.",
"If he took all these measures, following this path, but did not come to any feeling, this indicates that he is not yet fully fitting and prepared for it. He therefore should continue to strengthen himself from that point forward to an even greater degree, both in his service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, as well as in his sanctity, and then after a period of time, he should again return to seclude himself as before, until he merits that the spirit rests upon him.",
"Now, when it indeed rests upon him, he must be very discerning to determine whether indeed is a refined and pure spirit, or whether he has been visited by spirit from the opposite of goodness (Sitra Achara), or at the very least, whether there is an admixture of good and evil in it. The incident that happened when Ben Azai and Ben Zoma ascended to the Pardes attests to this. This may be determined based on what is revealed to him, whether all the words of the spirit are true, or whether there is an intermingling of truth and false in his words, whether his words are idle matters relating to the vanities of this world, or whether his words are not in accordance to Torah and the like. In such cases, he must push off the spirit from upon himself, and strengthen himself even more in his service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, until all his words are true and faithful and he has true fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He.",
"Know, that initially, the spirit will rest upon him in a way that seems like happenstance and only on rare occasions. Moreover, the words of the spirit will initially be on simple matters that are not very deep. Furthermore, his words will be few. However, the more one continues in this way, the more he will be strengthened in all of the above-mentioned matters. Moreover, know that it is a critically important general principle to refine the materiality of his body to the utmost degree. The same applies to uprooting all alien thoughts and ruminations from his mind, as well as completely uprooting the power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) from himself. He should rather focus his mind on matters of the upper worlds with the utmost adhesion (Dveikut). It is also necessary to contemplate everything that was written in the sixth gate of Part One, for there the order of how to conduct oneself in a way of piety (Chassidut) was more fully explained."
]
]
},
"Part 4": {
"": [
[
"Part Four",
"The ways of activating and attaining the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) of Divine Inspiration",
"In the seventh gate of the third section, we already explained that there are five levels of attainment of the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh), which are:
1. The Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh)
2. Revelations of souls of the righteous Tzaddikim
3. Revelations of angels called Maggidim
4. The revelation of the prophet Eliyahu, who is remembered for good.
5. Dreams",
"We explained that each of these levels can be attained automatically, through a person sanctifying himself and engaging in the study of Torah, without need of any other actions. It is, however, also possible for these levels to be attained through specific courses of action, provided that the one who does so is fitting and prepared for its attainment. It is this second manner of attainment of the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) that will be explained in this section of the book, which is a compendium of the methods already found written in the works of earlier sages.",
"This section is divided into three gates. The first gate discusses the ways that one should approach and conduct himself in action. The second discusses the manners of attaining the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh). The third discusses the conditions and methods required for the attainment of the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh). It should be noted, however, that in my main book called Etz Chayim, I already have written a number of unifications (Yichudim) and various different wondrous paths in regard to the matter of attaining and grasping the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh). If HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, shall allow it, I shall write them with more extended explanations in a volume unto itself.",
"Note from the original printer: This fourth section was not copied and not included in this printed version. The reason is because it is filled with Holy Names and their permutations and many hidden secrets, that were not deemed appropriate to be printed."
]
]
}
},
"versions": [
[
"Sefaria Community Translation",
"https://www.sefaria.org"
],
[
"Gates of Holiness, translated by Rabbi Amiram Markel, 2013",
"http://www.TrueKabbalah.com"
]
],
"heTitle": "שערי קדושה",
"categories": [
"Kabbalah",
"Arizal and Chaim Vital"
],
"schema": {
"heTitle": "שערי קדושה",
"enTitle": "Sha'arei Kedusha",
"key": "Sha'arei Kedusha",
"nodes": [
{
"heTitle": "הקדמה",
"enTitle": "Introduction"
},
{
"heTitle": "חלק א",
"enTitle": "Part 1",
"nodes": [
{
"heTitle": "",
"enTitle": ""
}
]
},
{
"heTitle": "חלק ב",
"enTitle": "Part 2",
"nodes": [
{
"heTitle": "",
"enTitle": ""
}
]
},
{
"heTitle": "חלק ג",
"enTitle": "Part 3",
"nodes": [
{
"heTitle": "",
"enTitle": ""
}
]
},
{
"heTitle": "חלק ד",
"enTitle": "Part 4",
"nodes": [
{
"heTitle": "",
"enTitle": ""
}
]
}
]
}
}