Könige I 19:8 Kabbala: Sha'arei Kedusha

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁴⁸⁷Talmud Bavli, Taanit 11a-b “A person should always consider himself as if holiness dwells in his bowels, as written,⁴⁸⁸Hosea 11:9 ‘Holiness is in your innards.’” Our teacher, Moshe, peace be upon him, only merited receiving the Torah after having fasted for forty days and forty nights.⁴⁸⁹Exodus 34:28 Similarly, Eliyahu the Prophet, who is remembered for good, only merited ascending the heights after he fasted for forty days and forty nights.⁴⁹⁰Kings I 19:8 Likewise, Rabbi Elazar, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Yishmael only merited all the wondrous wisdom and prophecy they attained when they ascended to the Pardes, after having fasted for many days and through all kinds of self-flagellation and abstention.⁴⁹¹Heichalot Rabbati and Heichalot Zutrati Similarly, King Solomon, about whom it states that,⁴⁹²Kings I 5:11 “He was wiser than all men,” only merited to such wisdom after fasting for forty days and forty nights, as our Sages explained about the large letter Mem-מ⁴⁹³The numerical value of the letter mem-מ is forty. of the opening word of Proverbs-Mishlei-משלי.⁴⁹⁴Yalkut Shimoni Mishlei, Remez 929