Kabbalah Mazmur 68:35: Zohar, Sha'arei Kedusha, Sha'ar HaGilgulim & Da'at Tevunot

saying: “Doth Job fear God for naught?”, as if to say, “No wonder the servant fears the Master who gives him all that his heart desires! Remove thy providential care from him and then see what his fear and reverence will be worth!”

5. We must know whether the soul of man is greater than the angelic beings or not. If we say that man is greater than the angels, then why did the angels not also descend into this physical world to manifest in a soul and a body? On the other hand, we cannot say that angels are greater than man. For, in all the teachings of our sages, of blessed memory, we find the opposite to be true. For example, along with many other teachings, they stated,⁸¹⁴Midrash Bereishit Rabba 78:1 “Who is greater, the guard or the guarded?” Moreover, even Scripturally, the verses themselves indicate the opposite to be true, as written,⁸¹⁵Deuteronomy 32:18 “You weakened-תשי the Rock who bore you,” and,⁸¹⁶Psalms 68:35 “Give strength to God, whose pride is over Israel,” and,⁸¹⁷Deuteronomy 14:1 “You are children to HaShem-יהו״ה your God,” and,⁸¹⁸Isaiah 49:3 “You are My servant Israel, in whom I take pride.” Moreover, the angels do not recite “Holy, Holy, Holy,” until the Jewish people below recite it first.⁸¹⁹Talmud Bavli, Chullin 91b; Midrash Shemot Rabba 23:7 We find no such things whatsoever stated about the angels.

We now will explain the answer to the first two questions, namely, why was it necessary for man to be created in this world with a soul and a body, and why are there two forms in him, the good inclination (Yetzer HaTov) and the evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa). We also will answer the questions that arise from the verses,⁸³⁴Psalms 68:35 “Give strength to God,” and,⁸³⁵Deuteronomy 32:18 “You have weakened the Rock who bore you,” and the like.