the mystical dimension vol 1
TRANSCRIPT
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THE MYSTIC L DIMENSION
V o l u m e
n e
The ystical
Tradition
Insights into the Nature of
The Mystical Tradition in Judaism
y
Jacob Immanuel Schochet
Second Edition
KEHOT PUBLIC TION SOCIETY
770 Eastern Parkway New York
2 3
5 7 5 5 1 9 9 5
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Copyright 1990
by J Immanuel Schoc het
Second Edit ion 1995
Kehot Publication Society
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(718) 774-4000 /FAX (718) 774-2718
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All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or
portio ns thereof, in any form, withou t prior permission, in writing,
from th e publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Schoch et , Jacob Immanuel
The Mystical dimension by Jacob Immanuel Schochet
550 p. 15x221/2 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Co ntents : v. 1. Th e mystical tradition
v.
2. Deep calling
un to deep v. 3. Chassidic dimensions
ISBN 0-8266-0528-1
v.
1
ISBN 0-8266-0529-X v. 2)
ISBN 0-8266-0530-3 (v. 3)
1. Mysticism--Judaism.
2.
Prayer--Judaism. 3. Repe ntance--
Judaism. 4. Hasidism. 5. Judaism. I. Title.
BM723S338 1990 90-4090
296.7 12-cd20 C IP
rinted
n the
United
tates of merica
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The
Mystical Tradition
Table
of
Contents
Preface
9
Foreword
15
To
Be One With The One : On the Meaning and
Relevance of Jewish Mysticism
1 7
Jewish M ysticism: Authentic T radition
vs. Subjective Intuitions
87
Let Your Wellsprings Be Dispersed Abroad : On the
Study and Propagation
of
nimiyut haTorah
111
Bibliography
151
Indexes
1 5 4
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(Proverbs 11:26 ,as interpreted by ou r sages. T hu s I s ta r ted
gradually with a seIection of materials for which there has
been a greater dem and , t o prod uce this initial series of three
volumes on the mystical dimension in Judaism.
T h e essays and studies in these volumes deal essentially
wi th exp lanatio ns of the mystical trad it ion an d perspective
in general . T he emphasis is o n themes and topics tha t are
bot h central and practical in Chassidic thou ght. M ost of the
ma terial w as revised, and up dated wi th references t o pres-
ently readily accessible editions of sources. Occasional over-
lapping of some themes and ideas is to be expected. More
often tha n not , however, these repetit ions com plem ent or
supplement one another.
In
view of the fact that this is a
collection of essays and studies comp osed a t separate and
varying times, there is disparity and inconsistency in the
transli teration of non-English words and th e rendit ion of
names (e.g. , in some parts Kamba m, a nd in others Maimo-
nides; Joseph
and
Yose f ;
a n d s o f o r t h ) .
T he co pious footn otes should no t scare off t he average
reader by giving th e appearance of a technical text. T hese
volumes d o not represent original insights of the autho r.
They a re no more than n a t tem pt t o present ideas and
teachings of old. M ost of the notes thus simply present
y
sources. Other notes explain or qualify the text , or offer
further elaborations.
Th e numerous quota t io ns f rom, or references to , T a l -
mu d, M idrash im, Zo har , and early classical sources, are not
intended as a display of erudit ion. The y simply dem onstra te
1 Sanhedrin 9 b. e e Zohar III:46b;Sefer C hassidim section 5 3 0
and the commentaries ad
loc
C f . Rosh Hashanah
23a;
S i ~ k a h
49b; Vayikra Rabba 22:l; et passim.
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ho w th e cited teachings of Ch assidism, especially its alleged
innovations, are f i rmly rooted in the historical t rad i t ion of
normat ive Judaism.
Th e modern t rend is to put footnotes a t the end of
chapters , or of th e whole book, to avoid the appearance of an
overly technical text . Personally I f ind this awk wa rd. Ta k-
ing advantage of an author 's prerogat ive, I applied my
preference for footnotes in the margins of the relevant pas-
sages t o m ore readily serve their purposes.
In view of the inte nde d aims of these volumes, th e
ci tat ions of Chassidic thoughts an d teachings general ly con-
centrate o n the original sources o the early masters, mo re
part icularly he teachings o
R.
Israel Baal Shem To v and
his successor,
R.
Dov Ber, the M aggid of M ezhirech. Biblio-
graphical d etai ls for texts ci ted app ear in t he index.
T h e mystical t radi t ion is the m ost del icate part of ou r
To rah . T hu s i t is the author 's fervent prayer to be spared of
errors in this undertaking. By the sam e token h e hopes also
that these volumes wi l l co nt r ibute some wha t to the goal of
i l luminat ing t he w orld w ith th e light of
pn m yut
Hatorah
Th is will of itself speed the Messianic prom ise o T he ea r th
shall be filled wi th the kn owledge of G-d as the waters cover
th e sea (Isaiah 11:9 , and they shall teach no mo re every
ma n his neighbour a nd every Inan his brother saying, 'Kno w
G-d, ' for they shall
all
know Me, f rom the leas t
o
t h e m u n t o
the greatest of them (Jeremiah
31:33 .2
2 Zohar
1II:23a; Rambam,
Hilchot Teshuvah
9:2, and
Hilchot
Melachim
12:S.
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FOREWOR
T h e existence of a my st ical dimen sion and trad i t ion in
Jud aism is a well-establ ished fact . In the popular m ind,
however, this gives rise to all kinds
o
perceptions. T h e very
me ntion of myst icism, or Kabbalah, often t ime s evokes
images of magic, amulets , incantat ions, spir i ts , or other
non-natural phenomena. These images, in turn, generate
di f ferent reactions . O n one ext reme are those s o fasc inated
that they would l ike to delve into the secret wor ld of the
myst ic s t o enab le t hem to manipu l a t e t he na tu ra l o rde r o f
things . O n th e other extreme there are those who, under the
guise of w ould-be rat ional ism, dismiss the very concept as n o
more than primit ive fantasies and superst i t ions rooted in
ignorance or naivete.
T o be sure, there is such a thing as Kabb alah m a'asi t ,
pract ical Kabbalah, wi th a system an d techniques t rans-
cending t he natu ral order. I ts authentici ty, how ever, is tested
by i t s dependence on Kabbalah iyuni t , the phi losophical
theory a nd perspective of Jewish m ysticism, w hich in turn is
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restricted to thc h ~ u n d ~ i r ~ e sf t i l e totalit\, o ] ~ \ . t i 1 4 1 1
tradition.
Kabbalah [ltJr ri contcl-5on the p~~ nc i p l ef thc om n i -
present reality of 1 he authentic rn .sric weks
t o
"to t~c h" the Divine and t o become absorbed therein. 1 ie
does not look for powcr. I'i~ rs~ti tf self-cnhancen~cnr r the
ability to nianipi~latc s alicn to him. His goal
\
self-
effacement, a transcendence of the transient vali~cs
f
marc-
rial and temporal reality. Ktrlihal zl~
7 z t z ~ z ~ l t
n its OM n is thc
ver) opposite thereof, and in the vie~v
f
the true Inystlc must
therefore be shunned as dangcrous and counter-productive."
Kubbaluh lyianit presents a complere lbeit complex
ystem of oritology, cosmogony and cosmology. Many
of
its central doctrines, such as tzrnzttltln S e f i r o t , 0 /a t?zo l
Orot, Keilim, Partztifint, and so fort h, are dealt wirh in r s
Mystical Concepts Irl Chasstdrsm. 111 thi3 vo lume we shall
deal with the general nature and perspective of Jewish ,Mys-
ticism, its place within norlrtarive Judaism, the unique
aspects that d isti~Iguish t from its non-Jewish counterparr,
and the significance of its propagation and populari-ration.
The
other volumes in this series will deal with.lllorc specific
aspects
of
its teachings which affect the pract ical level of l i fe.
J.
Immanuel Schochet
Toronto, Ont., 10th
o
Shevat 5750
I
See the strlct warlllngs of K saac urla (the
Ar t )
In R.
Charm
V~tal, Sha ar H am ~t zv ot , Shem ot; zdem., L2rkutel Torah,
Shemot
(Ta amer Harnrtzuot);
and
Sha ar Ru ach H akodesh ,
p
41 , s.u.
Tikun
111
See also
Sefer Chassrdrm,
par. 204-20.5,
and the sources cited there In
C:tlassdei Ola m and M ek or
Chessed; R.
Mosheh Cordovero,
Pardes Rrmonrm,
Sha ,ir
XXVII:end of ch. 27; and
cf.
R. Chdlrn Yosef David
Azulay
( C h i d a ) ,Petach
Emavim
on Auot 1 1
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ToBe One With The One
On The Meaning
nd
Relevance
Of
Jewish Mysticism
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To
e One
With
The One :
On the Meaning and Relevance
Jewish Mysticism
Table of Contents
ntroduct ion
abbalah: Jewish Tradit ion
ysticism: Another Dimension
ysticism vs Scientis m
1 Th e Torah o f G-d
.*
II T he Soul of the Tor ah
111 T h e Oil o Torah
V Spiritual Schizophrenia
Unification
VI Princip le of Un ity
II ichud And erud
III
itul
ayesh
X Individu ality in Universality
X Cosmic Dynamics
XI Partners in Creation
I1 Misplaced Hum ili ty
I11 Sublimation
IV Involv emen t vs Asceticism
V
In All Your Ways
VI G-d-Consciousness
VII Positivis m vs Nega tivism
VIII Redempt ion
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ToBe
One
With The
One
O n T he M eaning nd Relevance
f Jewish Mysticism
T o be one w it h the O ne, and thtrs is estab-
lished the mystery of 'O n that day G-d shall
be One and is Name One' (Zechar iah
4: )
Zohar
II:135a
Introduction
st ics and their fol lowers are of ten asked what the
Kabb alah and Chassidism can tell us today. Consider-
ing tha t Jewish myst icism gained prominen ce relat ively late,
of wh at concern, then, is i t to the h i storica l Jew ? T o be
sure, the Jewish myst ical t ra di t ion goes back t o Bibl ical
t imes an d i s fi rmly rooted in the Ta lm ud and M idrashim.
Nonetheless, we must recognize the fact tha t i t was general ly
kept concealed, with involvement restr icted t o a select grou p
of sages. W hy then the floo d of mystical writin gs an d
teachings in mo dern t imes , the a t t em pts t o popular ize the
myst ic t radi t ion?
Such quest ions have been asked (a nd were ant icip ated)
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ever since the mystics removed the screens that restricted
their teachings t o yechidei segulah, a chosen few initiates.
O nc e they furthered their aim by publishing introductory
tracts and exposi t ions, they spent a good numb er of pages t o
deal with the answers. They trace the historical roots an d
validi ty of the Kab balah an d i ts integral place within norm a-
t ive Judaism. They demonst ra te the new vis tas i t opens ,
which prove to be of great phi losophical , mo ral as well as
Halachic consequence. They stress the fact that these teach-
ings c ould a nd sh ou ld be publicized an d popularized, espe-
cially in the sixth mil lennium which is ikveta deMeshicha,
the era o n the very heels of the M essianic redemption.1
Th eir answ ers, tho ugh well-seasoned by age, are no less
relevant t o our day an d age than t o theirs . But before
indicat ing a few sym ptom atic aspects from this vast realm of
thou ght , s om e poin ts of clarif ication are in order. Hope ful ly
they wil l help hurdle some oft-held misconceptions that
stan d in the way of app reciat ing ou r myst ical t radi t ion .
Kabbalah Jewish Tradition
First of all , ou r sole concern is wit h Jewish mysticism ,
1. See, e.g., the works of
R
Meir Ibn Gabbai; R. Mosheh Cor-
dovero; R. Ch aim V ital; R. Joseph Ergas; and so forth. See also
R. Isaac ben Imm anuel d e Lattes s approba tion for the firsr
printing of the Zohar;
R.
Abraham Azulay s Introduction ro O r
Hachamah; and
R.
Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Tanya, Igeret
Hakodesh, sect.
XXVI. Cf On
the Study and Propagation of
Pnimiyirt Hatorah.
2.
O n this term and its significance, see Sotah 49b; R. C haim ibn
Atar, O r Hachayim on Genesis 49:9 and on Deuteronomy 7:12
For an interesting source for this timing, in addition to the
references in note
1,
see Ram bam , lgeret Teyman, ed. Kapach, p.
49.
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To BE
ONE
WITHTHEONE
3
and thi s includes the autho r i ta t ive Kabbalah an d Chass idism
as one. T h a t som e of i ts ideas may be fou nd elsewhere as
well , in non-Jewish sources (such as Platonis m an d Eastern
Mysticism), is interest ing but irrelevant. Alleged common
sources, textual cr i t icism, arguments about temporal prior-
i ty and 'who was influenced by who, ' may be fascinat ing
hunting -ground s for the 'myst icist , ' offering unlimited
scope for speculat ive theories and hypotheses, bu t they a re of
n o pract ical s ignif icance whatsoever.
Jewish mysticism, as Jud aism in general, does not claim
exclusive r ights t o al l insights: "Should a person tel l you th at
there is wisdom am on g the nat ions, bel ieve it "3 N o less a
source than the Zohar the basic text of Jewish m ysticism,
in te rp ret s t he M idrash ic comment t ha t t he words "w i thou t
blemish" (Numbers 19:2) can be appl ied t o the Greeks,
"because they are very close to the way of th e ( t rue ) Fai th,
more than any of the other^."^ C o m m e n t a t o rs o n t h e Zohar
note tha t this refers specif ical ly to the pre-Aristotel ians
whose views coincide in some respects with those of our
tradi t ion."
T h e Zohar already recognizes that a number of ideas
an d concepts of Eastern ph ilosophies "are close to th e teach-
ings of the Tora h." Yet the Zohar cau tions t o s t ay away
from their w orks in order not to be draw n t o thei r idola t rous
ideas an d practices, lest on e be led awa y fro m th e service of
G-d: "All those books mislead people. For the people of t he
East used t o be sages w ho had inheri ted thei r wisdom f rom
Abrah am. H e had given i t to the chi ldren of his concubines,
as i t is wri t te n, ' T o th e chi ldren of his concubines Abrah am
3.
Eichah Rabba
2:13
4
Zohar
II:237a.
Zohar Chadash, Yitro:
38b.
5 See
R .
Joseph Ergas, Shomer Emttnim 1:37.
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gave gifts, and he sent them to the land of the F-ast'
(Genesis2 5 : 6 ) .Later on , however, they were drawn t o man);
(idolatrous) sides with their wisdom. h
Th e point is tha t Jewish mysticism is Kabbalah, in the
literal sense of tha t word: a sourcc- and time-hallowed
tradition, strictly within the framework of historical, nor-
mative Judaism. Its masters are the recognized authori tative
teachers of both Talmudic and later times, and all its pre-
mises and doctrines are within, and subject to, Torah and
Halachah. It is part of
7 oruh
shebe'al peh, the Ora l Tradi-
tion, and like the other parts thereof has authoritative objec-
tivity and legitimacy a5 an authentic and integral part of
Judaism proper.'
The intimate relationship with, and dependency on,
Halachah, cannot be emphasized sufficiently. A favourite
contention of the 'mysticist,' as erroneous as it is ignorant
and mischievous, creates an imaginary tension between
Halachah and Kabbalah. 'There is no ground whatsoever for
this contention. Authentic Jewish mysticism is inseparable
from Halachah. t could hardly be different when noting
6 .
Zohcrr 1:lOOa-b. See Sunhrduiiz Y I b ; and 7 orilh Sbeicnrcrh o n
Genesis
25: 6 .
N o t e a l so Zohar Cl?crtiash,Bereishit : 10d an d
i f .
Aiwdah Zirru 55 a) why C-d a l lows some ef ficacy to ido la t rous
pract ices and shr ines which are a l together p roh ib i ted by the
To rah a p r incip le comparab le to the p remise o f G-d a l low ing
miracles to be performed by false prophe ts , as s tated in
Deuteronomy 1 3 : 2 f f . ) .
7
The object ive character of mysticism is perceived in the s tr ict
insi s tence on to ta l dependence on an au the n t ic chain of t r ad i t ion
, i s cun in ien-
or a l l i t s p remises; see Ra mb an , In t ro duct ion to
I-
t a r y o n t h e T o r ah , an d h i s co m m en t a r y o n G en es i s 1 : I ;
R .
J o s e p h A l b o , Ikkurinz 2: 29; R . k l e i r i b n C ab b a i , Tolil at Yil a-
k o ~ , n t r o d u c t i o n ; R. C h a i m V i t a l , I n t r o d u c t i o n t o Ei tz
Cbcryinz.
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ToBEONEWITHT H EONE
5
how much of the Kabba l is t ic and Chass id ic wri t ings re la te
Hal achic concepts an d details t o the mystical view of cosmic
rea l i ty and the in te rac t ions be tween the sp i r i tua l and the
mun dane . Suff ice it to no te tha t mos t of the g reatest H a la -
chic authorit ies and codifiers were a lso Kabbalis ts .8
This fundamental principle wa5 emphasized by the
au tho riti es of all ages, and m ost acutely so by t w o of
the
greates t giants in both Halachah and Kabbalah in recent
t imes:
R .
Ch aim of Volo \z in quo tes h is mas ter
R .
Elijah of
Vi lna , know n as the Ga on ,
t
the effect that it is absolutely
imposs ib le to speak of a con trad ic t ion be tween the Ta l m ud
a n d Zohrlr between the exoteric (revealed) and the e \oteric
(m ystica l) facets of the Tora h.
R .
Hil l e l of Par i t sh quo tes
R. Shneur Z alm an of Liadi, kno wn as the Rarj , t o the effect
tha t i t i s inconce ivab le tha t the mys t ics con trad ic t the Ta l-
rnud or the possk rn (codifiers) w ho derive their decis ions
from the Ta lrnud . O
8. E.g., R .
Abraha m ibn Daud (Kabad of Posqu ieres ) ;
R .
M o s h eh
b en N a c hm a n ( R a m b a n ) ; R . Shelomoh ibn Adere t (Rashba) ; R.
Joseph Karo (Bet Yossef) ; R. Mosheh Isser les (Rema); R . M o r -
dechai Y affeh (L-evush) ; and nume rous oth ers .
9.
See the qu ota t io ns and references ci ted in B. Land au,
Hagaorz
Hurhussid MeVilna,
Jerusa lem 1 967 , pp . 140-1 .
10.
R .
Abraham Lavut ,
Shu ur Hakolel,
ch.
1
(quoted in recent
edit ions of
Shrrlchun Arlrsh Huruv,
vol.
I
p .
3 6 8 ,
see there.
Th is i s no t t o deny tha t there are som e d i ff erences be tween
T a l m u d - H a l ach ah a n d Z o h a r - K ab b a l ah . I n t h i s co n t ex t t h e
codif iers rule that in case of a conf l ict betwe en the exoter ic and
eso ter ic t r ad i t ions we are to fo l low the fo rmer ( see
Magen
Avraham
o n
Orach Chuyim
2 5 : l l ; R a v s
Shzilchan Arrrch, ibid. ,
par .
2 8 ; R.
Chaim Kobr in ,
Tail Chavin r,
Kelal im:14 . Though
see som e qualif icat ions in
Sha ar Hako lel, ad loc.,
which paral lel
[he arguments in R. Judah Barz i la i ,
Per~tsh cfer Yetzirah,
p.
1 5 7 ; an d R es po n sa
Chclihanl T Z L J ~ ,
o.
36 .
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Even as
Haluchah
stripped of the mystical dimension is
like a body without a soul, so
is
the mystical tradition
separated from
Halachah
at best, like a soul without a body
imlessly floating about
in
a void.
Mysticism: Another Dimension
Secondly: An objective view and apprecia tion of mysti-
cism needs first and foremost an opening of the mind, a
sincere and complete commitment t o the pursuit of truth, no
less than one must be prepared to give to the study of any
other branch of knowledge. An appreciation of mysticism
may require a reorientation of thought and attitude from
what we are attuned t o by a background and approach that
focuses completely on practicality and empirical under-
standing. With the Kabbalah and Chassidism one does not
enter a new or different world but a new and different
dimension of one an d the same world, a different plane of
Generally speaking, this follows upon the same principle
underlying Halachic disagreements in th e exoteric Tora h itself.
Of
this i t is said that b oth opinion s are the w ords of the living
G-d. They are different dimensions of one and the sam e tradi-
tion, thus both objectively valid (see Eruvin
13b, and the com-
mentaries there, especially Ritba; Rashi on Ketuvot 57a;
commentar ies on
vot
5:16; and
R.
Isaiah Horowitz, Shenei
Luchot Haberit, Bet Chochm ah (end of p. 19 a)) . For pragmatic
reasons, however, we must rule one way or another, and Hala-
chah is governed by specific rules for its workings and decision-
making process. Thus, for example, while presently we rule
according to Bet Hillel against Bet Shammai, in the Messianic
age we shall ado pt th e view
of
Bet Shammai against that of Bet
Hillel; see Mikdash Melech on Zohar I:17b; R. Shneur Zalman
of Liadi, Likutei Torah, Korach, p. S4b-c.
R. Chaim Vital, Eitz Chayim, Introduction; see below, section
VI, and especially notes 29 and 31
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"T o BEON ITHHEONE"
thought that t ranscends previously held modes and
categories.
O n e must cast awa y the prejudices imposed by rat ion-
al ism and scient ism. At the very least one must al low a
measure of admissibility to the possibility of an order of
reali ty th at is not o ur normative phenom enal one, an d allow
the possibi li ty of m ethods of perception that differ from ou r
usual ones. Thi s wil l indeed reduce ou r phenome nal wor ld to
no more than a part ial real ity; bu t surely i t wou ld be highly
unscientific t o deny these possibilities. The sin ce re pursuit of
true know ledge is subject t o a sense of hum il i ty. The re must
be a willingness t o surrender the ego of self-assurance an d to
override personal bias. In the word s of o ur sages:
Pay close
at tent ion to a l l the words because t i s n o vain th ing for
you' (De utero nom y 32:46-47) f i t does appear t o be a
'vain thing,' it is so for you,' becau se of you," because of th e
deficiency in your apprehension l2
A classical precedent for this principle is found in the
fol lowing passage f rom th e Gemara: W hen R. Zeyra lef t to
ascend t o the Holy Land, he fas ted one hundred fast s in order
to forget the methodology of the Babylonian Tal m ud s o that
i t would not t rouble him in the s tudy and acquis i t ion of the
Je rusal em T a lm ud .
3
T o put a ll th is in to perspective , i t wi l l do wel l to
12. Sifre, Ekev, end of par. 48; Yerushalmi, Pe ah 1 :l ; Bereishit
Rabba 1:14 (cited in Ram bam , Moreh Ne vuchim 111: ch.
6
and
50) .
In this context
i t
would do well to ponder also the acute
premise underlying Rambam s defense of creatio ex nihilo
(Moreh Nevuchim II:17) and his treatment of the problem of
evil (ibid. III:12).
13 . Baba Metzia 8Sa (se e commentaries there, and
R.
Judah Loew
(Maharal), Netivot Olam , Netiv Hatorah, ch. 1 3) . This source
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ponder a p arable o f the Baal S hem -1'ov: A rnu\ ic ian once
played a beautiful nlelody u i r h in lmcn,e ly mo ving sweet -
ness. T h e beau ty of rh at Inu, lc 50
enraptured
the l i \ reners
rha t they were unable
t o
cont ro l themselves and fe l t com-
pe ll ed t o l eap and dance , a ln ~o s t each ing t he ce il ing . Th e
closer one cam e t o th r n lus ic ian , there Mia\ a pul l to
ovr
st i l l closer th e bet ter t o hear , atra lnln g ever greater plea5urc
and dancing ever morc .
In th e mids t of all r h k , a d ea f m a n e n t er ed . U n a b i e t o
hear t h e beau t i fu l mus i c, he cou ld no t app rec ia t e wha t was
happen ing . All he perce ived was people dancing in tense lv
a n d a m a n o n s t ag e m o t i o n i n g s t r a ng e ly w i t h s o m e ki n d of
ins t rument in h is hands .
1 0
i s mind t hey were a l l ma d . H e
thoug h t t o h imse l f: W ha t k ind o f ce l eb rat i on is go ing on
here?
N o w i th i s deaf m an were wise , he woul d real ize and
unde r s t and t ha t t hose peop le were moved by t he beau ty an d
pleasantness of th e musica l soun ds comin g f rom the ins t ru-
men t , and he , t oo , wo u ld have danced . T h e mora l is
obv ious .
Myst i c i sm us. Scient ism
Thi rd ly : T h e mode rn a t t i t i lde t o t he un ive r se is one o f
s
doubly a p t , because the basic d i s t lnc t lons be tween the Jeru ra-
l em T a l m u d an d t h e B ab y l o n i an T a l m u d ( s ee Sanhedrtn 24a;
Zobar Chadash , Eichah: Y3a; Rashi , Chagigah 1 0 a ,
s v
af l lu ;
Chidushei Harrtva,
onrir
5 7 a ; an d m y n o t e s o n Lilzkzrter S~ ch ot
(Englis h) , vol .
:
Vayikra , p. 70f . ) a r eacu te ly descr ip t iveof the
tw o per spect ives we are deal ing wl th here .
14. Quoted in
K
Mosheh C haim Ephray im of Sudylkov (g randson
and d isc ip le of the Baal Shem Tov ,DeRel Machaneh Ephravim,
Yit ro Sefer Baal She?;? 7 0 1 1 , Y i t r o, p a r 5 5 ) .
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T o
E
ON ITHT H EONE
9
ra t iona l inqui ry . I t seeks in the phen ome nal wo r ld t s sole
rea lm of concern sc ienti f ic uni for mi ty to whic h a l l fac ts
an d fac tors m ust co nform . T h e search is endless, but th is
does not d e ter the sc ienti s t . H e refuses t o
a d m i t d e f ea t o r t h e
possibil i ty of exce ption t o his underlving scientif ic premises.
'Sc ienti sm ' an d wou ld-be 'object ive ra t ional i sm ' th us of ten
s l ide in to an unc r i ti cal dogm at i sm second to none , and a new
'rel igion' is born : a ' r e lig ion ' of ever-new a nd changin g
revelat ions, wi th a n endless chain of 'high-priests ' reflecting
the moods . condi t ions and revela t ions of the i r t imes .
Th ere i s a degree of legi timacy in th is appro ach. Desp i te
i t s g lar ing shor tcomings , i t i s to be credi ted for t reme ndo us
technologica l advances. Nonetheless , in a t tem pt in g to es tab-
l ish his type of u ni form i ty , the mod ern ra t ional i s t paradox i-
cally creates, in effect,
n
increas ingly d is turbin g plura l i sm
an d an a l ienat ing divis iveness. Even as he conver ts the uni -
ver se in t o a m am m o th m ach ine , he b reaks it up in t o innu-
m erab le pa r ti c le s , s epa ra te f rom nd non- re la t ed t o
one another . His physiomonis t ic pantheism concerns i t se l f
only wi th species and universa ls . Individual ident i t ies
become sacrifices for the susten ance of his dells in m achina
T he hu m a n ind iv idua l ( a s w e ll a s any o the r pa r t i cu l a r s )
d im in i shes in p ropor t ion t o t he g row th of n a tu re and the
universe in the sc ient i f ic , exper im enta l grasp or conscious-
ness. Human individual l i fe is hedged in by a precarious
day- to-day, here-and-now, exis tence .
So me may take th is as a s tark fac t of l ife . Th ere i s,
however , a n in tui t ive ca tegor ica l and t ranscending sense of
m ora l i t y deep ly em bedded in t h e sou l and m ind of m a n ( a n d
of t en em bolden ed by a hos t of empir ica l fac ts ) which revol ts
agains t th is ca l lous mater ia l i sm w hich leaves us wi th
no th ing bu t ba r r en f ac tua l i sm . Th e r e su l ti ng t ens ion
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To BEONEWIT HEONE
The Torah
of
G d
T
e most succinct definition of Jewish mysticism is
found in the Zohar: l
Said R Shimon: W o e to the man wh o says that the
Torah merely tells tales and ordinary matters.18 f
this were so, we could compose, even nowadays, a
'torah' dealing with ordinary matters, and an ever
better one at
that. y In reality , ho we ver , all the
17. Zo har III:152a. See R. M osheh Cordovero, O r Ne hrau, 1:ch.
1-2; R. Jud ah Loew (M aha ral), Tiferet Yisrael, ch. 1 3; and cf. R.
Sh olo m Do v Ber (Reshab ) of Luba vitch, Ktrntres
Eitz
Hachayim,
ch. 15.
18. T he T ora h contains many narratives, especially in the Book of
Genesis (B ereishit) , whic h may a ppea r of n o use or significance,
as, for example, the genealogies and territories of the families
descended from N oah (Genesis, ch. l o ) , an d the genealogies of
Edom (Genesis, ch.
36 ;
cf. Moreh Nevlrchim, 111:50.
19.
f the Torah were merely a history-text, a book of legends, a
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1 i ~ e oral;l is clothed
i n
gilr~zre?zts clhici) rlutr t o
this ruorM,
~ P J L ~ S P
tl~erzl ische zrtorld would not he
~iEllp o contain
and
absorb
i t .
7hc stories of thr l orah arc only the g a r m e n t of the
Torah, as opposed to tiye Torah rtself Duvid thus
said: Opetz PT I V
~ V P S
hat may behold zoondrorrs
thirtgs oz~tof fro~tr orah (Psulrns 1 19 : 1 8 ) .r.
thut z~~l;ic I~s benea t h the
garment
o f the 7 orah. i
Come and see: 7herc. urr gurtizcnts which evervone
can see. Vl/hcn ools see a person in clothes w h i i l ~o
them look beulrtif~rl,hey look no further..
Thc Torah also husa body , nawzely the precepts of he
pract ica l gu ide for wc ia l behaviour , o r som e comb ina t ion of
these , man can easily compose a similar , and even better , wor k.
In t ru th , however , the Tora h i s no t a hum an o r wor ld ly conipo-
s i t ion of f inite and re la t ive value . The Tor ah is Divine: every
word and le t ter is a Divine revela tion to rhe point that a
Torah-scroll in which a mistake has been m ade by add ing or
om itt i ng even a single le t ter is disqualif ied for use as a Tora h-
scroll. See
Zohar
11:124a; and Kam ban s Introduction to his
Torah commentary.
C f .
K
Mosheh Cordovcro ,
Sh i ~ lr onrcrh,
sect. XI1I:ch. 44.
20.
f the To rah is to be inte l l igible to ma n f inite being l iving in
a f inite , physical world hen the To rah has t o speak in the
language of man
( B ~ r ~ i i 7 0 t
1b) , us ing an thropomorph ic te rmi-
nology and ideas adapted to m an s menta l capacity. See
K.
Bachya ibn Pakuda,
C l ~ o ~ ~ o tale l~oi fot ,
ha a r Hayichud: ch .
10;
a n d
Mot-eh
N ~ l ~ z ~ c h i n r:33. C/
Shi ttr Komu h,
sect.
1.VIII;
a n d
J .
1 Schocher ,
Mv s t~ru lConc-epts i iz Chdssidism,
ch. I
21. C/.
R . Shmue l
(Mcrhdrush)of
L.ubavirch,
? orat Shmri~l-V:.5638,
ch.
23 .
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To EONEWITHTHEONE
Torah u~h ichye calledgufei
T o r a h
(the bodies , .e.,
main princtples o f the Torah) , dnd that body is z~estpd
rn garments amely the zc~orldly ales (and
latz-
grlage o f the T o r ~ h ) .
The fools o f this ~ .l~orldook at the
g a r m e n t ,
the
narrations
o f
the Torah, and tiley do not knozr~ ny-
thing more. They
do
not consider rilhat is beyond that
g a r m e n t .
Those ulho reulize more {than the fools) do not look
at the
g a r m e n t
/xtt at the body beneath it.
But the wise he servants o f the Slipreme King,
those who stood at Mozt~zt inai hey look for the
soul, the verv essence o f evervthrng, the real Tora h.
.
And in anot her passage13 the
Zohar
s ta tes :
22 . Th e wise see no t on ly the ou te r ga rment and the body , bu t they
a re aware tha t the body ( the p recepts ; the le t te r o the law ) is
and m ust be accompanied and complemented by the sou l o f the
T o r a h .
Th e comm enta tor s no te the seemingly pa ren the t ica l phrase
those w ho s tood a t M ou nt S ina i. They read i t in con tex t of the
t r ad i t ion tha t no t o n ly the gene ra t ions o f those w ho pa r took in
the exodus f rom Egypt bu t
ull
the soltls
o f
Israel,
to the end of
t im e, par t ic ipated in the revela tion and receiving of the To ra h a t
Mount S ina i ( see Shubbut 1 4 6 a ; Pirkei deR. Eliezer, c h . 4 1 ;
Shenzot Rubba 2 8 :6 ; Zo h u r 1:91a ) . O ur tex t thus impl ie s he re
tha t those wh o d o no t accept o r be lieve tha t the re i s an inne r
meaning ( sou l ) to the Tor ah , those wh o re jec t the mys t ica l
t r ad i t ion s o d ) hich in fact is the verv essence or sou l of th e
To rah id not par take in the revela tion a t Sinai; see there R.
Cha im David Azulay , Nitzlr tzei Orot .
23 . Zo h a r I I I :149a-h.
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How precious are the words o f the Torah For euery
single word contains sublime mysteries..
On e o f the thirteen exegetical rules by which the
Torah is expound ed states: ' W he n a particular case is
included in a general proposition, but
was then
singled out from the general proposition to teach us
(concerning something specific), it was not singled
out t o teach only concerning that specific case but t o
apply its teaching t o the w hole o f he general proposr-
t i ~ n . ' ~ ~N O U Jt is likewise with the Torah itself:)
Th e Tora h is the supernal, general proposition. (As
for the specific narratives,) however, every one o f
these is clearly not restricted t o it s very o w n context
alone b14t indicates sublim e ideas und sublim e mys-
teries. 'It was not singled out to teach only concern-
ing tha t specific case but to apply its teaching to the
whole o f the general prop ositio n'. that is, relating
t o the sublime proposition o f the total Tor ah ..
W oe t o those wh o m aintain that a particular narra-
tive of the Torah teaches only about itself
f
that
were so, the supernal Tor ah would not be that w hich
it really is, namely a 'T orah of 'Truth.
Co me and see: It is not dignified for a king o f flesh
and blood to engage in comm on talk, and less so t o
com mit it t writing. Ho w then can one conceive that
the m ost high King, the Holy O ne , blessed be He, was
short o f sacred words to c om mit t o writzng and wit h
which t o compose the To rah , so that He collected all
24
Sifra Berayta deR. Yishmael Rule VIII.
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To
BEONEWIT HEONE
5
sorts o f 'co mmo n sttbjects' ike the words o f Esact,
the tuords of Hagar, the ~ uo rds f Laban to Jacob, the
words of Balaum and his do nk ey , h e tuords of Balak,
the words o f Zimri . and the other recorded narra-
tives, to make o f them
a
To ra h . No doubt brrt that
the stlpernal, holy Torah is
a
Torah of Trtrth, 'the
Torah o f C-d is perfect' (Psalms
19:8 ,
and every
single word signifies sublime matters.
.2
Th is premise is so basic tha t M aimon ides incorpo rated
i t in the Thir teen Fundamental Principles of the Jewish
Faith , by stating: "T here is n o difference between verses like
'The sons of Cham were Cush and Mi tzra im, Phut and
Canaa n ' (Genes i s 10:6 or 'His wi fe 's nam e was Meha tabel ,
daugh ter of Matred ' (Genesis 36:39 an d verses like 'I a m
G -d l your G -d .
.
(Exodus
20:2
and 'Hear , Israel , G-d ,
our G-d, G-d i s One ' (Deuteronomy 6 : 4 ) . They are al l
equal ly of Divine origin, and al l belong to the To rah of G -d
which is perfect, pure, holy and true "26
25. C f . Zohar II:55b, an d I11:79b; R. Abraham bar Chiya, Megilat
Hamegaleh I11:p. 75; Moreh Nevuchirn III:5O; R . Chaim Vi ta l,
Eitz Chayim, Introduction.
C f .
also Rambarn's reference to
Proverbs 25:11 in the introduction to the first part of
Moreh
Nevuchim.
26. Principles of the Faith (Comm entary on Sanhedrin, ch. X ) , no.
VIII.
C f . Z oh ar
I:145b;
Eliyahu Zutta,
end of ch. 2;
Shi ur
Komah, sect. XI1I:ch. 40.
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I
The Soul of th
Torah
F
om the preceding passages of the Zohar we have a pro-
found understanding of the very nature of t he Torah in
general, and of its mystical dimension in particular. Jewish
mysticism, the Kabbalah and Chassidism, are
nishmata
de orayta
the very soul of the Tor ah ),
pnimiyttt haTorah
the innermost reality, the core, of the Tora h) , or ma or
sheba7orah the luminary aspect of t he Torah which
radiates its light)
27
The distinction between the exoteric body and the
esoteric soul o the Torah, between its external and inner
dimensions, does not imply any belittling or degradat ion of
the exoteric. The term
gufei Torah
implies not only body in
27. See Korban Ha edah on Yerushalrnr, Chagigah 1:7,
s v
hase or
shebah; Y e f e i A n a f on Eichah Rabha, Petichta:2,
s 11
hase or.
C f .
below, note
45
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contradist inct ion to soul , but also body in the sense of
substan ce, in th e sense of 'm ain p rinciples of th e Torah. '28 In
this c ontex t i t refers to the param ount s ignif icance of th e
mi tsvo t , of H alachah . Th us even those wh o are aware of th e
'soul ' of the To ra h must also guard i ts 'body': they to o are
enjoined t o a comprehensive study and observance of th e
exoteric an d al l i ts precepts. In fact , the 'body ' is the very
prerequisite,
sine qtca
non, for at taining the 'soul . '29
In this context we speak of the pardes (orchard ) of the
T o r a h . T h e t e r m pardes is an acronym for peshat-remez-
derush-sod the four dimensions of the Torah. These are
four dimensions of one and the same thing, thus inseparable
one fr om the other . Even as the body is l ifeless wi tho ut the
soul , so is the soul inef fec tive wi th out the body. T he
di f ferent dimensions thus complement one another .
28. See Avot 3:18.
29. See R. Dov Ber (Mitteler Rebbe) of Lubavitch, Bitirei Hazohar,
Introduction; and R. Menachem Mendel (Tzemach Tzedek) of
Lubavitch, Or Hatorah, Shlach, p. 581 (especially his quotation
there of R. Bachva ben Asher's commentary on Deuteronomy
29:28 citing Rambam; see also R. Bachya's Kad Hakemach, end
of Strkah). Note carefully On the Study and Propagation of
Pnimiytit Hatorah, fn. 19.
30. In the context of the Talmudic passage of the Four who entered
the pardes (Chagigah 14b), he Zohar reads the word pardes as
an acronym for peshat, remez (or re'iyah), dert~sh, nd sod.
These are the four dimensions, or levels of meaning and interpre-
tation of the Torah. Zohar Chadash, Tikunim:107c; also ibid.,
102b; and Zohar I:26b, III :llOa, and 202a. For an example of
the application of these four levels 1: interpretation and their
relationship to Chassidism, see R . Menachem M. Schneerson of
Lubavitch shelita, Kuntres Inyanah she1 Torat Hachassidzrt, ch.
9-17.
31. See above note 11. In this context note also the analogy between
the esoteric dimension and salt: salt by itself is not savoury, but
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O n the othe r han d, t o restrict oneself t o peshat, to
believe but in the simple, explici t meaning, is tan tam oun t t o
reducing oneself to the three letters of this word, which,
transposed, spell t ipesh ( a stupid person), of w ho m it is said
(Psalms 119 :70 ), Their heart is topash (gross; dense;
s tup id) l ike fa t .
. 32
Even to accept peshat, remez (allusion s)
and dertrsh (homilet ics) , but to reject or ignore the sod
(esoterics) from pardes, leaves the wo rd pered ( mu le) ; of h im
w ho w ould d o so i t is sa id (Psalms 32:9) , Like the pered
who has no unders tanding .
M an cannot a nd may not choose and pick in mat ters o f
Tor ah . T he D iv ine To rah is one en t i ty and must be accepted
as one whole. And to accept the wholeness, the oneness, o f
To rah , m eans t o recognize an d accept To rah o n al l its levels,
al l i ts facets and dimensions. T his is the funda me ntal princi-
ple of the unity of Torah.
~t lends savour to m eat an d oth er edibles (see Beruchot Sa;
Menuchot
21a and Rashi
ad loc. .
It is likewise with
pntmiyrtt
Hutoruh;
see
1,ikrttei Torah,
Vayikra,
p.
3df.
32. R . Chaim David Azulay,
Mtdbar Kedemot,
Peh: l ; and
idem.
Devash Lefi,
Kof:15. See also
Shenei 1,richot Haberit,
T o l d o t
Adam
p.
3c) about the total unity of the exoter ic and esoter lc
d ime ns ions ( c i t~nghere also Rambam's reference to Proverbs
25:11, m entioned above, note 24 ) .
C f .
also the Vilna Gaon's
comment that knowledge of
sod
is essential for a clear under-
standing of
peshat; Ellen Shelemuh,
V111:21.
33.
Mtdbar Kedemot,
Peh: l ;
D e ~ f u s h.e f t ,
Kof:lS; and
Nttzufzcr
Orot
on
Zohur
l I I : lS2a .
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The Oil of Torah
T
e soul-body analogy is not just a nice metaphor. It is
mea nt q ui te l i teral ly an d evokes the very n ature and re-
levance of Jewish mysticism.
n
the hu m an level, the soul is uniqu e, al together
pure, concealed, abides in the innermost precincts of the
body yet permeates and pervades the whole body and sus-
tains i t . 34 I t is likewise with th e soul and body of the T ora h:
the myst ical dimension is unique, concealed, al together
pure, abides in the innermost precincts
of
t he T o rah yet
permeates and pervades i ts total i ty, and in a qui te real sense
sustains it .
The Torah has been compared to var ious things ,
34.
Berachot
10a;
Midrash Tehilim
103:4 5.
See Mystical Concepts
in Chassidism p p . 39 41.
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i nc lud ing wa te r , w ine and oil.
i
All these compar iso ns are
not p oet ic devices but re lated t o pra c t ~c a l r inc ip les . In ou r
con tex t , wa t e r , wh ich i s e s sen t~ a lo l ife , s igni fies the T or ah
as a who le . W ine an d o ll a r e liquids which a r e con t a ined and
concealed wi thi n grapes an d ol ives respect ively, thus signify-
ing the ' concealed par t ot the 'Torah, ' th e sol11of t he Torah .
Th e Ta lm ud no t e s a l ready t ha t t he numer i ca l va luc ot yizyrn
( w i n e ) is t h e s a m e a i t h a t
of sod
( ie c re t; n ~ v s t e r c ) . ' ~il in
tu rn , g ives l if e and l igh t t o t he wo r ld , j~ l i c as r h e s o ul t o t h e
body.
Oil signifies distilled essence. x I 'his renders ~t dis t inc t
and sepa rat e f rom eve ry th ing on t he one hand , ~v h i l e l so
pe rvad ing eve ry thing on t he o the r . f h us o il does no t n l i x
wi t h o ther l iquids : even when mixed w i th ever so many
liquids, i t r ises to the 4urface above
t
t he s ame
t ime , wh i l e o the r l i qu ids r ema in s t a t i c and w i l l no t sp read
about , o i l does spread i t se l f throughout , penet ra t ing and
p er va din g e ~ e r y t h i n g . ~
T h i s n a t u r e of
011 I \
a lso the na ture of
pnr z~u t
h a T o r a h , th e \ o u l a n d m y s t ~ c a ld in lens ion of r lorah
sha mn ah she1
7
orah , t he
' o i l
o f the Torah . ' For i t , to o , rs
essence , the essence of To rah : d i s t inc t an d separa te on th e
one han d, ye t pervas ive and p enet ra t in g on the o ther . Thi s is
of qui te practica l consecluence:
35.
Derlairnr KuOba 7:3; Shli liubbir o n S o n g 1:2; and paral lel
passages noted there.
36
I.:rrtilin 6 5 a . C f .
ohm
III:39a an d
177b;
I r k r r n ~ i o h u r
22:67a
37 Il t l~urinrKubbil 7 : ; hii. Kebhd o n Song
1:3
38
O n
t h i s
an d
t h e
next paragraph, bee V ~ ~ J ~ri 7 0 r u / ~luchds-
sidrrt,
ch . VII
3 9 .
See references
i n n o t e 37
40. See
Cbrtiirr 9 7 a .
41.
For
t h i s
tern1 see
Sbir K~zbbil n
ong
1:3;
an d
Invtz?zu/~hd l ori7f
H I ..
T ~ i l ~ s t d 1 1 1 ,
ote
48
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T o
BE ONE
WITHTHE
ONE
Spiritual Schizophrenia
A
n exclusive s tudy of
nigleh
t h e e x o t e r i c T o r a h , m a y
e q u i p t h e st u d e n t w i t h T o r a h -k n o w l e d ge . H e m y
acqui re p rofound scho la rsh ip . None the less , i t a l lows a l so
t h e p o s s i b il i ty t h a t t h e s t u de n t - sc h o l ar r e m a i n s e p a r a t e f r o m
t h e T o r a h i ts e lf .
O n a c r u d e le ve l i t re fl ec ts t h e T a l m u d i c m e t a p h o r
of
t h e b u r g l a r w h o p r ay s t o G - d a n d i n vo k e s D i v i n e b le ss in g f o r
h i s i m m o r a l a c t i v i t y . T h a t c r i m in a l b el ie ve s in G - d . H e
believes in the pr inciple an d eff icacy of prayer , yet he fai ls t o
app ly tha t o n th e p rac t ica l o r persona l l eve l. H e fa il s t o sense
the inheren t con t rad ic t ion in h is pursu i t s , the rad ica l d icho-
tom y be twee n h i s re l ig ious invo lvement and h i s personal l i f e
coex is t ing as tw o a l toge ther separa te an d unre la ted en t i t i e s .
42.
Beruchot
6 3 b ,
version of
y i t l Ya 1kol1 .
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A more subt le an d sophist icated dich otom y is seen in
the fo l lowing inc ident : There was a man w ho had s tudied
halachot ( the laws) , Sifre, Sifra, and Tossefta, and died. R .
Nachman was approached to eulogize h im, but he sa id :
"H ow can we eulogize him ? Alas A bag ful l of books has
been lost "43
T ha t m an had s tudied the most d i f fi cul t t exts . H e had
become very erudi te, yet he did no t comprehen d and abs orb
wh at he h ad learned. H e could q uo te chapter and verse, yet
he and his qu ota t io ns remained dis t inc t f rom on e another .
Th e Zoha r no t es t ha t t he w ord cham or (donkey) is an
acronym for 'chacham muf la verav rabanan won drous
scholar and a rabbis ' rabbi. '44 O n e can be know n as the most
won drous scholar in the wor ld , heading the most prom inent
academy t o t ra in rabbis a nd Torah-scholars , and exper t in
pilpulistic methodo logy; but if u naw are of th e soul of the
To rah , if n ot touched and penetrated by the oi l of th e To rah ,
he remains an insensi t ive chamor, the proverbial "donkey
loaded with books."45 e carries a whole l ibrary on his
back, has s tupendous knowledge a t his f inger-t ips, yet is not
touched by what he has learned.
4 3 . Megilah 28b, and see Rashi ad ioc.
44 Zohar III:275b.
4 5 .
Chozrot Hale vovo t, Avodat Elokim, ch.
4
o m a 72 b pro-
vides another source
for
negative possibilities from an exclusive
study of the exoteric part of Torah. O n the other hand, a study
of pnimiyut Hatorah the ma or shehaTorah ee above, note
27 ) precludes that dich otom y, because the ma or of the Torah
restores to the right path and goodness (Yerushalmi, Chagigah
1:7; Eichab Rab ba, Petichta:2). See R. Menachem
M .
Schneer-
son o f Lubavitch shelita, Likutei Sichot, vol. IV, pp. 1 03 9 and
1 1 1 8 .
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To BEONEWITH
THEONE
3
A
person like th at may conceivably fall to th e level of a
naval bireshut haTorah
scoundre l and rake with in th e
dom ain of To rah : he may k now , observe and prac t ice a ll the
codif ied requirements of Halachah, yet be and remain a
reproba te , a
10wlife.~6
Halachah is no less essential to the mystic than to
anyone else . Where the Kabbalis t or Chassid dif fers , how-
ever, is first and foremost in his approach, in his conscious-
ness of the universal im por tanc e of H ala cha h and its
dynamic s ignificance. T o h im the s tudy of Tor ah is no t on ly
a
mitzvah
on its ow n, or just a precondition for observing all
o the r
mitzvot
I t is a lso the means to become transformed,
for himself to become a Tora h, a personif ication of Tor ah.
O ne of the great Chassidic masters , K. Leib Sarah 's , thus
sa id tha t he t r aveled fa r and w ide to com e to h is mas te r , the
Maggid of M ezhirech, "not t o hear words of T or ah f ro m
him , b ut t o see ho w he laces and unlaces his shoes "47 H e sa w
in the Ma ggid t hat ideal personif ication of To ra h, where
every act and motion is an expression of the ideals of the
T o r a h .
46
R a m b a n o n Levit icus
19:2
47 See J. 1 Schochet , The Great Maggin p 148
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Unification
T
the Mekubbal or Chassid, the mitzvot are not only
categorical imperatives of formal morality, acts of
obedience and submission t o G-d. Th e term mitzvah is an
idiom o f tzavta, of being joined together. I t implies being
unified with the very act of the mitzvah and its contents, and
thus also with the Metzaveh, the One Who Comma nded
I t .
Torah-study and mitzvot thus become the ultimate devekttt,
cleaving and attachment to G-d Himself, the ttnio nzysttcu.
Th e underlying premise of mysticism is the all-inclusive
exhor tation of You shall be holv, 4' a sanc tif ication of
48.
R .
E l e a ~ a r z k a r ~
efer Cbilrertizm
Mltz v a t H a t e s h u v a h c h . ;
r
Hut-hayzm on
N u mb e r r
7 : 3 ;1 rkrrtriToruh.
B e c h u k o t a ~
.
45c
49. Leviticus
19:2
See
Ra mb a r n S e fe r H a m r t z ~ j o t
horesh
IV.
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T o BE ONEWIT HEONE 5
one's to tal being, of th e total i ty of l ife and the wo rld. Th is is
a premise that precludes perfunctory study of Torah or
observance of m itz r~ ot , et alo ne being a nav al biveshlrt
h a T ~ r a h : ~ ~
It is the 'oil of Torah' that penetrates, permeates and
i l luminates one's whole being, and t ransforms man and
Torah into a s ingular ent i ty. Every act ion, therefore,
becomes a vital reality. This consciousness is tested and
verified by the concrete realization of the premise that the
purpose of wisdom is that i t inspire and lead to an appl ica-
t ion of tesht ivah (return to our Divine roots) and ma'asim
tovim ( th e actual pract ice of goo d deeds) .sI
T h e sterile type of l ife an d 'scholarship' of the donkey
loaded with books, unfortunately, is qu i te sym pto ma tic of
the m ode rn age an d its metho d of alleged rational inq uiry, of
'logical positivism' an d its atom izing gam es of l inguistic
analysis . The myst ical dimension forceful ly counters this
an d bears a pervasive message of special relevance to mo dern
ma n. W ith this message we are able t o extr icate ourselves
f rom the contemporary mind- and soul -pol lu t ing forces tha t
threaten to s t i f le us, and to f ind ourselves. For i t is the
tzinor,
the condui t connect ing us to ul t imate real i ty. I t i s the
s t imulant caus ing deep to cal l un to deep he profoun d
depth of man 's soul ca ll ing un to the profound dep th of the
Universal Soul to find and absorb itself therein.52 Thus it
brings forth and establishes the ultimate ideal of unity, of
oneness, on all levels.
SO See note 46.
51. Berachot 17a. C f Likutei Torah, Shemini Atzeret, p. 85a.
52. See Psalms 42:8, interpreted in Sefer Halikutim a1 Tnach,
Tol-
d o t
p.
72)
and Tissa p.
197). Cf. Zohar III:73a,
and
Likutei
Sichot, vol. V, p. 302.
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rincipleo Unity
T
e principle of unity is fundamental to Juda ism, ex-
pressing itself in each of t he ma jor concepts of ou r faith:
G-d, Torah, and Israel.53
Achdut Hashem, the Unity of G-d, is a fundamental
and al l-comprehensive principle of Jud aism , second only to
existence of G-d (and in a way including th at as well) . W e
affirm i t twice daily with the mitzvah of reci t ing th es he m a,
"Hea r, Israel , G-d , our G-d, G-d is One " I t implies a
unique a nd pure oneness in an absolute sense, with noth ing
at a l l comparable to i t .5 4TO eny this oneness is t o deny the
very essence of our faith, all the precepts of the Torah, for
they al l depend on belief in G-d and His unity. Quite
53 . See O t i o t deR. Akiiju-11, s.il. aleph (ed. Wertheimer, p. 403
that G-d, T ora h, an d Israel , are each referred t o as one.
54. Ranibarn, Principles of the Faith, no. 11; an d Hilt hot l essodei
atorah
I:7.
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ToBE
ONEWIT THE
ONE
7
obviously this principle embraces also the prohibition of
idolatry, the prohibition of assuming tha t there is any other
power or reality besides G-d.55 Idolatry is the very opposite
of unity. I t sets up a multiplicity of things, pluralism,
realities outside and separate from G-d. Hence it is the worst
sin: to believe in multiplicity is to acknowledge idolatry
which in turn is to deny the whole Torah.56
As G-d is the very principle of absolute uni ty, His
creation and effects, too, manifest unity: from O ne can only
come Maimonides thus devotes a lengthy, and widely
celebrated, chapter in Moreh Nevuchim, to show how the
universe demonstrates in its entirety a unity like that of an
individual being. Whatever differences there are between its
substances are but like the differences between the limbs of a
person. Just as a person is one individual, and at the same
time composed of the various parts of the body (such as the
flesh, bones, the various mixtures etc.), so is the universe.
This representation of the whole of the sphere as one living
individual and possessing a soul s most necessary or useful
for the demonstration that the Deity is One and will also
clarify the principle that He who is On e hascreated a unitary
being. '
Even as the principle of yichztd (unity of G-d) underlies
the religious life of Halachah, and avodah zara (idolatry) is
its very antithesis, so, too, in the philosophical system of
Jewish mysticism.
55
See Sefer Ha -hinzrch, no.
420.
56. Sifre, Re ey, par.
54.
Rashi on Numbers
15:23,
and Deuteron-
omy 11:28.
57. Moreh Nevuchim I:72 See R . udah
Loew,
Netzach Yisrael
ch.
3 .
58. lbid.; see there, though, for some qualifications of the analogy.
Cf R. Mosheh Isserlis (Rema) , Torut Ha olah II:2, sect.
3.
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V
Yichud
and erud
c h tl d a n d p e r ~ d , n i ty a n d d i v is i on , ca n b e s a id t o b e
th e p ivota l concepts of Jewish myst ic i sm.
Yichud i s a t the core
o
everyth ing . Al l be ing , the w ho le
o f t h e c r e a ti o n , is a i o n e b o d y , t h e n u m e r o u s m e m b e r s
o
which a r e fu ll y i n t e r re l a t ed and i n t e rdependen t . How eve r ,
j us t a s i n t he ana logy t o t he hum an body , t h e va r ious o rgans
an d member s a r e bound up o ne i n t he o the r pe t each o f t hem
re t a in s i t s ow n un ique cha rac te r and qu a l i t y . I r ob lems fo r
the who le , o r f o r t he pa r t , a r i se whe re t h is dua l na tu re i s
ignored: when the par t icu lar sh i rks h is universa l i ty , h i5
mem ber sh ip i n , and r e spons ib i li ty t o , t he o the r s , t he who le ,
an d i s preoccupied w i th h imsel f . H e conlm i ts an ac t of
pen id , d iv i s ion : mu t i l a t i ng t he un ive rse, cu t t i ng do w n the
shoots .
Per lid , separa t ion f rom the w hole , in the myst ic s v iew,
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To EON ITHTH ONE
9
is the cardinal sin, the very root of all sins. Separation is
caused by self-assertion, ego-centricity. It is tantamount to
idolat ry, creating dualism or pluralism. I t is an infringement
upon the ult imat e yichud, the unity or oneness of the Abso-
lute. For to take that stance is to establish oneself as a yesh, a
'something,' selfhood, a reality separate from, outside of,
and next to , whatever other being there is. Th us it is a denial
of the solitary unity of G-d.
The consequences of this tragic separa tion and division
are not limited t o the offending individual. T he severance of
a part from the whole implies not only the rejection of the
whole by the part, but also the loss of the part to the whole.
The whole body is rendered incomplete, deficient. It has
become incapacitated with regards to the unique qualities
and functions of that member. Hence the mystic's emphasis
on bitti1 hayesh, the duty to negate, to efface, the ego tru
ego, and the imperative dissolution in the whole, the concept
of deuekut, to strive for the rtn o mvstica.
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To EONEWITH
THEONE
5
G-d-centered, worsh ipping his ego instead of G-d alo ne. H e
may recognize the existence of G-d, even the supremacy of
G-d , bu t also gran ts recogni t ion to himself.63 H e dem and s
recogni t ion for his h ono ur, his desires, his abso lute proprie-
torsh ip over his possessions. A t th e very least this is du alis m ,
which is n o less crass idolatry th an crude polytheism. T hi s is
the idolatry of w hich Scripture (Psalm s 81: lO ) warns, Let
no s t range god be w i t h i n
Of this self-centered person G -d says,
I
and he cannot
dwe ll together. T h a t person is so full of himself tha t in him
there remains n o place for G-d. Of this the Baal Shem To v
taught: Self-aggrandizement is worse than sin. For of all
defi lements an d sins i t is wri t te n, W ho dwells wi th them in
the very midst of their impu rity (Leviticus 16 :16 ); of th e
arro gan t, how ever, i t is said,6 1 an d he ca nn ot bo th dwe ll
in this wo rld, ' as i t is wr itten , ' I canno t t o l e ra t e h i m w ho has
haught iness and a proud hear t ' (Psa lms 101:5) . 66
itul Hayesh
thus means tota l self-negation. Th e ego,
a l l and any forms
o
selfhood, must be nul l i f ied. I t has no
place in the consciousness of Divine omnipresence.
T o be sure, there are t imes an d places when there is a
need to dem onst ra te pr ide . H ono ur is due to pos i t ions of
leadership, and those holding such off ices must safeguard
th at honour.67 N o less essential is pride in one's iden tity as a
creature of G -d, pr ide in one's heri tage and pride in being the
recipient of G-d's To ra h. But tha t is exclusively in conte xt of
63 . See Menachot 110a; and Tanya, c h . 2 2 .
6 4 .
Shabbat
10Sb.
6 5 .
Sotah
Sa .
6 6 . K. Ya'akov Yosef of Polnoy, Tza fna t P ane bc h , p . 7 6 d Sefer
Baal She m T ov ,
Acharei, par. 5).
6 7 . C f. Kidushin 32a-b.
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the service of G- d, as it is writte n, His heart was proud in
the ways of G-d. (I1 Chron icles 17:6 It is never personal-
ized. It is never in terms of self-aggrandizement.m
Bittil hayesh m eans conscious awareness of t he ultim ate
nature of ad am an. Th e numer ica l equivalent of the
term ada m is 45, which in Hebrew consists of t he tw o let ters
mem -hey, spel l ing mah. T he word m ah means the inter-
rogat ive 'w ha t?, ' s ignifying self-negat ion s in 'W ha t
are we? ' (Exodus
16: 7 - 8 ,
i.e. of wh at impo r tance are
we? 70
T he Ma ggid of Mezhirech notes that the wo rd adarn is
a co m p o un d of t he le tte r a le ph an d t he w o rd d a m ( b l ~ o d ) . ~ '
T he physical real ity of m an is essent ial ly d am (bloo d; the
vital principle of the b ody ). Th e special, m etaphysical reali ty
of m an is the D ivine spark th at gives him life, intelligence,
hum ani ty . T his Divine spark, the neshamah (Divine soul ) is
the a leph rom Alupho shel Ola m, the Ma ster of the
U n i ~ e r s e . ~ ~o recognize the Aleph luph o shel Olawz
as our very essence is to establish our reality as adam in a
consciousness t ha t pe r se we ar e bu t u ~ a h . 7 ~o forget abou t
the
A l e p h
,.bus self-assert ion to the po int of separat ing the
Aleph from ourselves, reduces us t o m ere da m , mere plasma.
68. See
Chov ot Halel~orlot,
ha'ar Hakenl 'ah, ch. 6 and end of c h .
9.
Hilchot D e ot
2:3.
Tzuua at Hartr~ash,
ect. 91.
Keter Shenl
T o v , sect. 68 and 393. Tanya, lgerer Hakodesh,
sect
X X V .
69.
Tikuner Zohar,
intr . :7h.
70. See
Keter Shem Toll.
sect. 2 9 2 . C f .
1.rklrfcz Src.hot,
v o l . I
Vayechi, sect. 111.
71. Maggrd We~jarav.eya akou,
sect. 29;
Or Torah,
sect.
134.
72.
C f. Ot t o t deR. Abtva-I ,
5.1 . aleph (ed. Wertheimer, p. 3 48 ).
73. See note 70. See also
Lohur
III :48a that
udanz
15 the most
s u b l ~ m e erm by which man 1s referred to In Scripture; and c /
R .
Yosef Y~ tzch ak Reyatz) of L uba v~ tc h ,
o r a t H a ~ h a ~ s r d l i t ,
ch. VII; and
l . ik~itei tchot,
vol
IV
p. 1116, nore 1 1 .
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To E
ONE
WITHTH
NE
Individuality in Universality
t may appear paradoxical, but the emphasis on the univer-
sal, on the ultimate oneness of all, also emphasizes the
particular. For everything created by G-d, thus everything
tha t is part of the universal, is created for a distinct purpose,
with
a
distinct task in relation to the whole. All that the
Holy One , blessed be He, created in His world, He created
solely for His gl0ry. ~4 Every particular, therefore, is
indispensable.
Th e toe-nails, no less than the heart and th e brain, have
their individual purpose: each one necessary to, and comple-
menting, the other for the complete and perfect functioning
of the body. Affectations of the toes become affecta tions of
the brain, and vice versa. The ill-health or pain of the one
affect the well-being and functioning of the other.
74
vot
6 : l l
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T o be sure, we do make quite clear distinctions between
them. We speak of vital and non-vital, higher and lower,
more and less impor tant organs and limbs. We set up quali-
tat ive as well as quanti tat ive scales of levels and values,
Nonetheless, they are all intertwined, interdependent, inter-
acting, wi th every particular adding its own contribution for
which it was created. This cont ribution is its very function.
T o achieve it is to contribute to the well-being, the
yichtld,
of the whole. T o neglect it leads to
perud,
a division and
defect in the whole.
In this context, too, it was said that everyone should
always regard the whole world as half meritorious and half
guilty. When commit ting a single sin, therefore, woe to him
for turning the scale of guilt against himself and against the
whole world. Thus it is said, One sinner destroys much
good (Ecclesiastes 9:
1 8 ,
that is, on account of the sin of
that individual he and the whole world lose much good, On
the other hand, if he performs one mitzvah, happy is he for
turning the scale of merit in his favour and in favour of the
whole world, thus bringing salvation and deliverance to
them, as it is said, The righteous man is
the foundation of
the world (Proverbs 10:25) .
The significance of individuality is poignantly
expressed in the words of
R .
Zusya of Annapol, when he said
of his day of judgment that he did not fear the Heavenly
75 Kidushin
4 0 b ; K a mb a r n ,
Hzlchot Ieshlruuh 3:4
N o te , t h o u g h ,
that this weighing of s in against vir tues is not a s imple m athe -
ma t ica l ca lcu la t ion . The re a re a number of qua l i ta t ive computa -
t i o ns t h a t c o m e
nto
play ,
and these are an exclusively Divine
prerogative; see H~ lch ot Tesh~ruuh3 : 2 ; Kad Hukemuch, s r l
Kofh Hashanah-I .
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ToBEONEWIT HEONE
Judge's question as t o why he had not attained
rhe
levels of
the patriarchs, the prophets or even his masters; after al1,who
was he to compare to them? He
did
fear thou gh, h e said, the
q ue st io n o f Z usy a, w hy w ere y ou n o t Z u ~ y a ? ~ ~
76. This does not contradict the principle that everyone must strive
to have his deeds achieve the level of the deeds
of
the patriarchs
Eliyahu Rabba, ch.
2 5 ) ;
for just as the patriarchs did their best
t live up to their obligations and poten tial, so can and must
every individual.
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Cosmic Dynamics
T
e above now leads us to another crucial concept in
Jewish mysticism: the cosmic significance of man's
actions.
At the completion of nza aseh bereishit, the work of
creation, it is said that G-d blessed thc \eventh a y and
made it holy, for on it
He
rested from all His work tha t He
had created la'asot. (Genesis
2 : 3
It does not say there
that He had created
ue tassa
(and had made), but the
imperfect tense of la asot o make.
1,u asot means
letakell
o mend, to con~plete. For
none of the things created in the six days of creation is
77 .
e r ~ i s h r t
Kabboty
17:l. Ka\hi
o n Uarei~hztRahb z
11 . See
R .
Shneur Zalman
of
L i a d ~ , fddrir
r r z Da t h
Sha ar Hamilah , p
1 4 5 a ; T ~ e m a c hTzedek,
Or Hcztorah,
N i t ~ a v i m , .
1236.
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T o
EONEWITHTHEONE
7
c o m p l e t e . W h a t e v er c a m e i n t o b e in g n ee d s f u r t h e r w o r k t o
comple te i t .7X
T h e w o r l d , w i t h a l l it s c o m p o n e n t s , i s i n c o n ~ p l e t e .
M a n lacks pe r fec t ion . Th is is no t so because of som e fa i lu re
on the pa r t o f the Crea to r , nor because of so me acc iden ta l
defect . I t i s an intended par t of the very plan and intent of
c rea t ion . T h e s ta te of incon lp le teness p rov ides a in l and
purpose: W hich G -d has c rea ted lil 'r~sot o r m a n t o
con t r ibu te , to com ple te h imse l f an d h i s sha re in th e un ive rse .
A n d f o r t h a t g o a l m a n w a s gi ve n t h e T o r a h a n d ~ . z i i t z ~ ~ o t ,o
s u s t ai n a n d co m p l e t e hi ms el f a n d t h e u n i v e r ~ e . ' ~
M a n com pou nds w i th in h imse lf a spec t s o f a l l wor ld s
an d a l l en t i t i e s. Thro ugh h i s phys ica l and sp i r i tua l com pos i -
t ion (bo dy and sou l ) he i s bound up w i th a l l l evel s o f
c rea t ion . His ac t ions and behav iour , the re fo re , a f fec t a l l
wor ld s , a l l l eve ls , a ll en t i t i e s , f rom the lowes t t o the mos t
sublime.xO
Thus the Torah repea ted ly uses the phrase ve'asitetzz
otanz ( y o u sh a l l d o o r m a k e t h e m ) i n t h e c o n t e x t o f o u r
D i v in e o b l i g a ti o n s . T h e w o r d o t d m ( t h e m ) s u s u al ly w r i t t e n
defec tive , wi t ho u t the vowel -s ign o f the l e t t e r
uau,
a n d
therefore can be read a lso as
atenz
( y o u ; y o u rs e lv e s ). O u r
sages see th i s a s mos t s ign i f i can t . T h e imp l ica t ion i s rle'asi-
t e m a te rn ou shal l make yoiruselues, you shal l create
y o ~ r s e l v e s . ~ '
M o r e o v e r , b y o b s e rv i ng T o r a h a n d m i t z v o t w e a c t u a l -
78
Bereishit Rabba 42:3; Vavikru Kabba
11
7 .
79. See
Tunchr tmu,
Shemini :7-8 ,
and
Tazrila:S;
Brrrishit Kubhu
4 4 : l ; Vayikru Kabbu 13:3.
80 .
R .
Chain] Vi ta l , Sha'arri Krdttshah 111:2.
81. See
Sanhedrin
99b ;
Tunc.hrt~iza,
T a v o : l ;
Vuyikra Rabha
35:7.
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To
BE ONE
WIT
HEONE
Partners in Creation
J
ewish mysticism uses a great deal of anthropomorphic
and anthropopatic expressions. This is a major reason for
the special care and caution imperative upon those who
pursue it. Nonetheless, quit e obviously, as with the anthro-
pomorphisms in the Biblical and Talmudic-Midrashic writ-
ings in general, these are merely human approximations and
metaphors t o help finite minds understand something of the
reality of the Infinite.85
In our context: G-d
per
s
is not affected by human
actions or anything else. But insofar that human actions
affect the status of the universe, they determine, as it were,
the flow o r withholding of the Divine emanations to the
universe as a whole and to each entity in particular. Man
8 5 . See Mystical Co ncepts in Cha ssidism
ch I
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l en ds t h e w o r l d t h e c a pa c it y t o r cce lv e th e I I i v i ~ ~ cffluence,
H e elici ts an d man ifests i t on t he levcl of th e wo rlds , C)n th e
human leve l th i s i \ percc i\ icd as adding s t rength to the
Heaven ly pow er. ( ;onc.erscly, man niay incap acitate him -
self or the w orld from recervlng the I j ivlnt : eff luence; thus
he
prevents or conceals i t . n the h um an level this is perceived
as weaken ing the grea t power of Above.
1-hc imp act of m an upon the unii le rse , the dynam ics
or
cosmic s igni f icance
ol:
human behav iou r , t he i n t e r ac t i on
between the phys ica l and the sp i r i tua l , can be unders tood
not only in te rms of the body-m etaph or ( i . e . , the imp act of
the va r ious l imbs and o rgans upon one ano the r ) , bu t a l so i n
terms of the body-soul or body-m ind in terac t ion . In fac t ,
mode rn t echno logy p rov ides phenomena t ha t demons t r a t e
the pr inc ip le of the imp acr of hu nian be haviour on
a n
empirical level :
Ra d io a nd t el ev is ion show us t ha t even t he mo s t i nnoc -
uou s act ivi t ies of m an , verily even his mere presence, leave a n
impres s ion on t h e who le a tmosphe re . T h e vo ice of a ma n
mu t t e r i ng t o h imse lf , an d t h e mo t ions o f h i s p l ayfu l j ump-
ing abou t , on t he m oon , a re , by m eans of t he ri gh t i n s t ru -
ments , a udib le and v is ib le hundred5 of thous ands of mi les
away . Sound-waves an d l igh t -r ays a r e r ea l it ie s , a s a r e a tom s
and var ious forces of energy and ra dia t ion . T h e sc ience o t
psychia t ry and psychoanalys is show how seemingly innoc-
uous percept ions genera te spec i f ic consequences , though
these may n ot be note d unt i l many years or decades la te r .
T he mys t ic t r ans la t e s the se f ac ts f rom th e phenom ena l
to t he nou mina l , f r o m physi cs t o me taphys ic s . Every ac t iv i t v
of m a n , even speech a n d t h o ~ g h t , ~ 6f f ec t s t he who leco smic
86.
W ~ t h
egards
t o t h e cormic effect
of
speech
s erachot
1 9 a ;
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To
E
ONE
WITH
THE
ONE 61
order . Mi tzr jo t , good deeds , proper in tent ions and ac ts ,
con t r ib u te t o t he u l t im a te v i ch i td . S ins , evi l deeds , im prope r
behav iour, cause d iso rder , d iv is ion , ~ ~ ~ r i ~ d .n tha t sense ,
man, every individual , shapes and determines h is own des-
t iny an d tha t of t he w or ld . H e becom es, a s i t were , a par tne r
an d co lla bo ra to r in wza;rseh hereis httu:
' I
have placed
M y
w o r d s i n y o ur m o u t h , a n d w i t h t h e
s h a d o w of M y h a n d I have cove red yo u , t o p l an t t he heavens
a n d t o l ay t h e f o u n d a t io n s o f t h e e a r t h , a n d t o sa y t o Z i o n ,
am t a t ah ' ( I s a iah 5 1:
16
d o n o t r e ad u m i a t a h ( y o u a re M y
p e o p le ) b u t i m i a t a h o u a r e uvth M e , t o b e a p a r tn e r a n d
c o l l a b o r a t o r w i t h M e J u s t a s I m a d e h ea ve n a n d e a r t h by
means of M y wor d, as it is sa id ,
'By
t h e w o r d o f G - d t h e
heavens were made ' ( I' sa lms 33 :6) , so d o you. Ha pp y are
t h o s e w h o m a k e a n e ff o rt w i t h T o r a h . x x
Mo'ed Katan 18a; Keter Shem Toll, sect. 273; and cf Responsa
of Rashba attributed to Ruinbun) , no. 286; and Responsa M i n
H asham ay im , no. 22. For the effect of thought, see Berachot
60a; Keter Shenz T ot , sect. 230 and 273; Maggid Devarav
l.eva'akov, sect. 39.
87.
Sha'arei Kedtrshah
III:2. C f .
Shubbat
10a.
88. Zohar 1:Sa. Tiktrnei Zohar 69:104a and 118a.
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Misplaced umility
n must be conscious of th i s immense power . H e must
realize that all his actions are charged with serious
consequences. T h e Baal Shem To v thu s caut ions:
Excessive humi l i ty m ay cause man to g o as t ray f rom the
service of G-d Because of a sense of self-depre cation he doe s
no t believe th at man can bring abo ut a Divine eff luence to al l
wor lds by means o f prayer and T orah . Indeed, even the
angels are sustained by vir tue of m an's To ra h an d prayers.
f
ma n wo uld sincerely believe this , he wou ld serve G-d w ith
joy a nd gladness of the heart more than for anything else,
and he would be careful with every letter , motio n an d word
t o express these in ideal fashion.
H e mu st realize tha t he is a 'ladder set on th e earth , and
its head reaches in to heaven': all his mo tio ns , his speech, his
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"T o BE
ONE ITH
T HE
ONE
6
cond uct a nd involvements, leave impressions in the upper-
mo st realms. Th us he must be careful tha t al l these be for the
sake of Heav en.
I n turn ,
i f
man th inks , 'wh o am tha t cou ld b lemish
or cor rect anything above or below, that my doings wi l l
leave a ma rk above' his wil l cause him to fol lo w the
incl inat ion s of his heart , thinking th at he has not hing to
wor ry abou t .
In t ruth , however, the good deeds of m an cause him to
be l i terally at tach ed to C -d , as i t is wri t ten, "Yo u shal l walk
in His ways" (Deu teronom y 28:9) . T hus when he i s compas -
s ionate below, the Supernal a t t r ibu te of compass ion i s
st i rred Above, in all worlds. Th is is the concept of "Kn ow
wh at i s Above
mim ch
( f rom you)" ( A vo t 2 : l ) .e ., f rom
you yourself you can kno w i t : from th e at t r ibu te aroused
within you, you know that i t is l ikewise Above.89
8 9 . Keter Shem Tot , sect. 1 4 5 . See also Tzdvu at Harivash, sect. 142
interpreting: Know that what is Above imcha, i.e., t is
from and through you. In other words, man's actions below
determine corresponding Heavenly reactions.
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ublimation
T
e mystical
per eption
of cosni tc uni ty br ldges the gap
be tw een un iver sa li sm and in d iv~d ua l i sn i ,be tween rhe
universe as a w ho le an d each person as a unique individual .
There are accusat ions tha t myst ic isni s intr insically anri-
nom ian. T h e a l legat ion is tha t n iyst ica l mon ism erodes the
reall ty of life, and In particular of n o r m a t l v c J u d a i s m w i t h
the apparent Halachlc 11iult ipIic1ty of c o n i n i a n d m e n t ~ n d
p r o h i b i t i o n s c a t e g o r i ~ e dn te rms of
rsstrv
a n d
hettev
forbicl-
d en a n d p e r m i t t e d ) ,
kosher
a n d
pu~srrl
f i t a n d u n f i t ) ,
tanzeh
a n d
tuhor
p u r e a n d i n ~ p u r c j . n t r u t h , h o we v er , t h e s e H a l a -
chic ca tegor ies can hardly em erge [no re c lear ly del ineated
t h a n t h e y d o
n
t he K abba lah and C hass id i sm .
All ent i t ies are d ivided i n t o the three pr incipal groups
o f
chiytrij
ob l iga to ry ) ,
rssirv
f o r b i d d e n ) , a n d
reshttt
op t ion a l ) . In t he t e rm ino logy
of
the mystics these are: a)
Kedi f shah
the rea lm of hol iness , which embraces a ll tha t IS
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To
E
ONE
WIT
HEONE
6
enjoined by the T ora h (m i tzvo t ) and everything re la ted
there to . b) S i t ra achara he 'o ther s ide ,' the rea lm of
impu r i ty an d evi l, a l so referred to as the rea lm of th e kel ipot
(shells; husk s) , wh ich comprises al l tha t is prohib i ted by the
To rah and a l l tha t is re lated there to . c) Kel ipat nog ah he
' i rradiated shel l, ' a realm related t o si t ra acha ra yet stan ding
somewhere between i t and kedushah; i t includes al l that is
not per se subject t o e i ther a com ma ndm ent enjoining it s use
or a prohibi t ion forbidding i t s use.90
Ma n's re la t ionship to kedushah and to s i t ra achara is
self-evident: there must be act ive pursui t and involvement
wi th al l in the realm of ked ushah, an d conscious passivi ty
and abs tent ion w i th regards to a ll in the rea lm of the s i t ra
achara. When thus relat ing to them, in their Divinely
intended c onte xt , they bo th serve their purp ose and achieve
their ends: hol iness is s t rengthened, absorbed an d diffused,
and evil is subdued a nd null i f ied, in the world as a wh ole and
in the individual involved in part icular .
T h e real test of life relates to th e vast realm of kelipa t
nogah, which i s both profane and neut ra l . I t is profane
because of i ts present status as, and associat ion with,
kel ipah. I t is neutral , because i ts nogah ts i rradiat ion
from the side of kedushah -pa rt ly neutral izes i ts bon d wi th
kel ipah to the point of a l lowing i t to be a rea lm of potent ia l -
i ty. I t is the not-yet-hal lowed even as i t is the not-yet-
defi led. I t is potent ial kedushah, even as i t is po tent ia l s i t ra
achara . W hether i t wi l l be subl imated to ascend to the one,
or degraded to descend to the other , depends on how i t i s
used by man.
90
For an extensive discussion of this sub ject, see Mystical Concepts
in
C