Musar zu Jeschijahu 51:78

And the world endures only through Torah, as it is written (Jeremiah 33:25): "If not for My covenant, day and night, the statutes of heaven and earth I would not have ordained." And this is the language of the holy Zohar, Parshath Bereshith 47a: "Everyone who occupies himself with Torah every day will merit having a share in the world to come, and it will be accounted to him as if he had built worlds. For it was through Torah that the world was built and fashioned, as it is written (Mishlei 3:19): 'The L-rd, through wisdom [Torah] founded the earth, etc.' And everyone who occupies himself with it shapes the worlds and sustains them. And come and see: It was with a spirit that the Holy One Blessed be He made the world, and it is with a spirit that it endures, the spirit of those who toil in Torah." And this is the language of Parshath Tzav: " R. Elazar opened and said: (Isaiah 51:16): 'And I have placed My words in your mouth, and with the shadow of My hand have I covered you, etc.' From here we learn that if a man occupies himself with words of Torah and his lips murmur Torah, the Holy One Blessed be He hovers over him and the Shechinah spreads its wings over him. What is more, he causes the world to endure and the Holy One Blessed be He rejoices with him as if the heavens and the earth were planted on that day."

(Sanhedrin 99b): “R. Yochanan said: ‘He [one who learns Torah] also secures protection for the entire world, viz. (Isaiah 51:16): “and with the shadow of My hand have I covered you” [and, consequently, the entire world].”’” Levi said: ‘He also brings the redemption nearer, viz. (Ibid.): “and to say to Zion: ‘You are my people.’”’”

“When you go out to war, etc., and see horses and chariots - forces larger than yours - have no fear of them” (Deuteronomy 20:1). We were warned with this that if a person sees trouble nearby, the salvation of the Lord should be in his heart and he should trust in it - like the matter that is stated (Psalms 85:10), “His salvation is near those who fear Him”; and likewise is it written (Isaiah 51:12), “What ails you that you fear man who must die.”

Each and every Torah insight that a person reveals ascends On High and stands before the Holy One Blessed is He. The Holy One Blessed is He kisses it and crowns it with several crowns, creating from it a new heaven and a new earth. These then stand before Him in order that His eyes may be upon them continually to watch over him personally by means of them. And in order that the ministering angels not be jealous of him, the Holy One Blessed is He covers over and conceals those insights until He has fashioned from them the new Heaven and the new earth. This is what is meant by the verse, “And with My hand I have covered you to plant heaven and to found the earth” (Yeshayahu 51:16). But this applies only if he does not become conceited over his learning and the novel insights he has revealed, Heaven forbid, as the Zohar teaches in Parashas Terumah (129a):

Now we shall explain the greatness of the merit of one who guards his mouth and his tongue from speaking forbidden things. First, he amends and sanctifies thereby the distinctive "tool" of the Jew, which is speech. So that all the words that he speaks thereafter in Torah and in prayer ascend to the source of its root on high. For not in vain did Chazal compare this [faculty] in many places to a "tool of the trade" [see Rashi, Bamidbar 31:8], to teach us that just as a tool is necessary for the making of new, beautiful vessels, [so is it with the "tool" of speech]. Even if one be the king's craftsman, the greatest of all the artists, whose intellect is extremely subtle, and who can conceive of the finest way of fashioning vessels, still, he cannot make them without tools. And, more than this, even if he has the tools, but they are defective and damaged, and he is "pressured" to make some vessels, there will be recognized through them the defect and the imperfection of the tools, inside and outside, because he will not be able to smooth them [the vessels] out correctly and they will remain like formless blocks of wood, unfit for use even by commoners; how much more so, for a king. But that craftsman whose tools are polished and shined as they should be — the vessel that he fashions with them will emerge perfect and beautiful. It is exactly the same with the faculty of speech given to the Jew for the service of the awesome King (blessed be His name) for Torah and prayer, and for blessing, glorifying, praising, and exalting Him. For it [(this faculty)] is the great tool whereby the complete man can build heaven and earth, as it is written (Isaiah 51:6): "And I have placed My words in your mouth to plant the heavens and to lay the foundations of the earth." And this is to be understood literally. For with the words of holiness that a man speaks here in this world before the blessed L-rd, there are created on high holy worlds and angels, who will afterwards be protagonists for and defenders of his soul. And the quality of the worlds and the angels created through his Torah and mitzvoth depend on several factors: 1) his mind-set at the time. That is, his having readied himself at that time with all his powers to fulfill his task according to the Torah, in all of its requisite parts and details. 2) his tools, by which his Torah is fashioned. That is, the tools of speech (and, likewise, in respect to the mitzvah, the tools required to execute it.) For if they are beautiful and elegant, being used always for the good, and the power of their sanctity being thereby strengthened, they will have the power to draw down the higher sanctity and great light on whatever he is doing. But if he renders defective and unclean, G-d forbid, his faculty of speech through lashon hara, rechiluth, levity, and falsity, and the like, and he does not repent, and then he speaks with his mouth words of Torah and prayer, what power will they have to draw down on that Torah and prayer the higher sanctity after his "tools of utterance" have been rendered defective and unclean in and of themselves?

Now we shall explain the greatness of the merit of one who guards his mouth and his tongue from speaking forbidden things. First, he amends and sanctifies thereby the distinctive "tool" of the Jew, which is speech. So that all the words that he speaks thereafter in Torah and in prayer ascend to the source of its root on high. For not in vain did Chazal compare this [faculty] in many places to a "tool of the trade" [see Rashi, Bamidbar 31:8], to teach us that just as a tool is necessary for the making of new, beautiful vessels, [so is it with the "tool" of speech]. Even if one be the king's craftsman, the greatest of all the artists, whose intellect is extremely subtle, and who can conceive of the finest way of fashioning vessels, still, he cannot make them without tools. And, more than this, even if he has the tools, but they are defective and damaged, and he is "pressured" to make some vessels, there will be recognized through them the defect and the imperfection of the tools, inside and outside, because he will not be able to smooth them [the vessels] out correctly and they will remain like formless blocks of wood, unfit for use even by commoners; how much more so, for a king. But that craftsman whose tools are polished and shined as they should be — the vessel that he fashions with them will emerge perfect and beautiful. It is exactly the same with the faculty of speech given to the Jew for the service of the awesome King (blessed be His name) for Torah and prayer, and for blessing, glorifying, praising, and exalting Him. For it [(this faculty)] is the great tool whereby the complete man can build heaven and earth, as it is written (Isaiah 51:6): "And I have placed My words in your mouth to plant the heavens and to lay the foundations of the earth." And this is to be understood literally. For with the words of holiness that a man speaks here in this world before the blessed L-rd, there are created on high holy worlds and angels, who will afterwards be protagonists for and defenders of his soul. And the quality of the worlds and the angels created through his Torah and mitzvoth depend on several factors: 1) his mind-set at the time. That is, his having readied himself at that time with all his powers to fulfill his task according to the Torah, in all of its requisite parts and details. 2) his tools, by which his Torah is fashioned. That is, the tools of speech (and, likewise, in respect to the mitzvah, the tools required to execute it.) For if they are beautiful and elegant, being used always for the good, and the power of their sanctity being thereby strengthened, they will have the power to draw down the higher sanctity and great light on whatever he is doing. But if he renders defective and unclean, G-d forbid, his faculty of speech through lashon hara, rechiluth, levity, and falsity, and the like, and he does not repent, and then he speaks with his mouth words of Torah and prayer, what power will they have to draw down on that Torah and prayer the higher sanctity after his "tools of utterance" have been rendered defective and unclean in and of themselves?

He should be zealous to seek knowledge of the Torah and knowledge of the Creator, as it is written. "And let us know, eagerly strive to know the Lord" (Hos. 6:3). Thus said the Sages: "Betake thyself to a place of Torah" (Aboth 4:14). And a man should be alert to seek justice, as it is written : "Justice, justice shall you pursue" (Deut. 16:20). And it is written, "Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, Ye that seek the Lord" (Is. 51:1). It is necessary to be quick in copying out the books which one needs for one's study. When he sees or hears a new thing, he should be alert to write it down and not delay until it is forgotten from his heart.

And the prophet further said: "She has none to guide her out of all the sons she bore, none takes her hand of all the sons she raised" (Yeshaya 51:18). And "all flesh is grass, and all his kindness is as the blossom of the field" (Isaiah 40:6), which our sages of blessed memory, explained: "all the kindness they do is only for themselves" (Zohar Chadash 117a, Tikunei Zohar 30,63a), i.e. for their own good and benefit; they do not intend for this perfect intention and do not seek the raising of G-d's honor and the redemption of Israel.

For it is impossible for the honor of G-d to be raised except through the redemption of Israel and the raising of Israel's honor, since in truth, one depends on the other, as the prophet said in Tana D'Bei Eliyahu I mentioned: "and he grieves over the honor of the Holy One, blessed be He, and over the honor of Israel".

There is a Midrash Chazit on Song of Songs 3, 21 in which Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai asks Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yossi whether he had heard any comment about the crown his mother had made for him. Rabbi Eliezer replied in the affirmative. When asked what that comment was, he replied that it was a parable describing a king who had only one daughter whom he loved excessively and whom he called בתי, "my daughter." In the course of time he took to calling her אחותי, "my sister." Still later he started calling her אמי, "my mother." This describes the developing relationship of love between G–d and Israel. It is reflected in Psalms 45,11 where G–d is described as addressing Israel as "listen daughter, and incline your ear." In Song of Songs 5,2 Israel is addressed as "open your heart to Me My sister;" in Isaiah 51,4 Israel is addressed as עמי ולאומי, and the latter word is spelled Immi, "my mother." Upon hearing this Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai stood up and kissed Rabbi Eliezer on his head and said: "if I had only come to hear this word from you it would already have been worthwhile."

The Tziyoni writes in a gloss on פרשת בראשית that the reason we are to be so careful with observing the details of the legislation of צרעת, blemishes of the skin, the clothes, or the house, is that we are dealing here with inner blemishes, i.e. sins, which have become visible externally. G–d has been very kind in externalizing the effect of these sins so as to give the afflicted person an opportunity to repent and rid himself of the pollutant of the serpent which his sins are due to. The priest is the only one who can effect a cure because the priesthood originated in the "right" side of the diagram of emanations in the emanation חסד, whereas the pollutant of the serpent has its origin in the "left" of the diagram of emanations, the side from which Samael originates. Nowadays, when we do not have priests who can perform the steps leading to the rehabilitation of an afflicted person (including the sacrifices he has to bring at the end of the period of his isolation as outlined in Leviticus 14,2-32), repentance is the only instrument by which we can cleanse ourselves. The right hand of G–d is always stretched out to welcome penitent sinners.