the mystical dimension vol 1

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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

770 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, New York 11213

(718) 774-4000 /FAX (718) 774-2718

Orders:

291 Kingston Aven ue Brooklyn, New York 11213

(718) 778-0226

FAX

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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)


13/151

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


18/151

"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


19/151

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 ) .


20/151

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


21/151


22/151

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


23/151

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 .


24/151

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.


25/151

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.


26/151

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.


27/151

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


28/151

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


29/151

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 .


30/151

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.


31/151

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


32/151

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 .


33/151

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 .


34/151

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


35/151

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.


36/151

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.


37/151

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.


38/151

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.


39/151

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,


40/151

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.


41/151


42/151

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.


43/151

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 .


44/151

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


45/151

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 .


46/151

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.


47/151

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.


48/151

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.


49/151


50/151

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


51/151

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

the mystical dimension vol 1

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