Chasidut su Genesi 14:22

Rabbi Shimon said, “I raise my hands in prayer to He who created the world (see Bereshit, 14:22). Even though our predecessors have revealed hidden supernal knowledge in this verse, one would do well to look into and contemplate the secrets of the book of Adam, because this is the source of the hidden book of Shlomo HaMelech.” (Zohar, Yitro, 70a) Thus we find that Shem and Eiver³⁶Whom tradition identifies as pre-Sinaitic Torah scholars, living from the time of Noach until the days of Yaakov. had a house of study. When Rivkah was pregnant and the twins were fighting in her womb, it says (Bereshit, 25:22), “She went to ask of God.” The Midrash Rabbah (Bereshit, 63) notes that she went to the house of study of Shem and Aiver. The Gemara teaches us that Yaakov hid himself from Eisav in the house of Aiver (Megillah, 17a).

Avraham, however, understood that God, “fills the whole world with His glory.” He removed the orlah,³⁹Orlah means “foreskin.” The author is stating that Avraham’s removal of concealment of G-d paralleled his own act of circumcision. This idea is found in the Zohar, and many Kabbalistic and hasidic writings. the force of concealment, which divided God’s light from man’s understanding. Thus we find after he was given the commandment of circumcision (milah) it is said (Bereshit, 21:33), “And he called in the name of Hashem, the God of the world.” This means that God’s existence became apparent in all aspects of the creation, as the Midrash Rabbah (Vayera, 48) states, on the verse (Iyov, 19:26), “‘From my flesh I shall see God’ – Were it not for the act of circumcision, how could God have been revealed to me?” That is, he saw God’s light in every detail of creation. When Avraham said, “I raise my hands to the Supernal God,” it was before the circumcision.⁴⁰See the Beit Yaakov in parshat Lech Lecha, 33. Similarly, we find that the Patriarchs taught the Torah to their sons. The Midrash⁴¹Midrash Tankhuma, Vayigash 11; Midrash Rabbah,Vayigash 95; Midrash Rabbah, Shemot 5. tells us that while Israel was in Egypt they possessed scrolls with which they would delight in each Shabbat.

“Anan orcha d’oraita naktinan - We are following the way of the Torah.” This is exactly how Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said it. Rabbi Shimon revealed how all mysteries are within the Torah. God enlightened him to the knowledge that the Torah contains all Divine names and chambers. The Torah contains the order of the concatenation of the spiritual worlds. All Sefirot, holy names, and names of angels are derived from its verses. It is clearly stated in the Tikunei Zohar (Tikkun 57, page 91b), “every angel has a verse in the Torah.” The mysteries of the pre-Sianitic teachings are not based on the verses of the Torah, for the Torah had not yet been given.⁸⁰However, all pre-Sinaitic teachings are hinted at in the Torah, as the Torah includes everything, as will soon be explained. From the days of Rabbi Shimon, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed the knowledge that it is all in the Torah. Therefore it is said in the Zohar (Aharai, 61a), “All who aspire to ascend levels into the realm of mysteries, do so only in order to complete themselves in the knowledge of Rabbi Shimon.” Even that which was taught in the book of Adam HaRishon was again reviewed and taught to Moshe in the Torah. Concerning this, it is written in the Zohar (Yitro, 70a), “Rabbi Shimon said, I raise my hand in prayer⁸¹Referring to what Avraham said to the king of Sodom in Bereshit 14:22. to the One who created the world. Even though our forbears revealed great mysteries in this verse, it is well for us to delve deeply into the secrets of the book of Adam HaRishon, for this knowledge found itself in the hidden book of Shlomo HaMelech. This book reveals the secrets of man’s generations. It is a tree which reveals the generations of man and bears the fruits which bring them into the world. This is the book of the knowledge of hidden and profound wisdom, which was delivered to the physical Adam HaRishon. This same wisdom was given to Shlomo HaMelech, who recorded it in a book. We have learned that Moshe has great difficulty learning these matters, until the Shekhina came and taught it to him … Then Moshe learned this wisdom, and internalized it.” From here we see that Adam HaRishon had the book of the knowledge of mysteries, and God later imparted this knowledge to Moshe. This is hinted at in Parshat Tetsave (Shemot, 27:20). It is also hinted at in the realms of Ma’aseh Bereshit (The mystery of Creation) and Ma’aseh Merkava (The mystery of the Chariot). “And God created man in His image, in the image of Elo-him,” These are two good points – which are male and female. (Zohar, Nasso, 122b) Just as there is a good spiritual form on the Tsaddik, which leads him in the proper behavior whereby he merits the world-to-come, so too is there an evil form on the head of the wicked, which leads him in his evil behavior, whereby he inherits hell.⁸²This “form” (heb. tselem) is the medium through which the good or wicked individual receives his power to act. Come and see! The actions of man are a testament to that individual’s spiritual form, and is revealed on his face, as it is written (Yeshayahu, 3:9), ‘the form of their faces witnesses against them.’ The form of a man’s face reveals the nature of the angel which accompanies him; whether it is the lion, or the ox, or the eagle, or the man of the chariot of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shekhina. … Or perhaps it is from the chariot of the four elements of the earth … This is the secret of (Bereshit, 1), ‘Let the earth bring forth particular species of living creatures.⁸³The word for living creature, חיה, is the same as the word for angel. ‘ … Come and see! Each of the six days of creation had a specific spiritual countenance⁸⁴Or “Face” – Partsuf, in Aramaic. which would lead it. (Zohar, Nasso, 123a)⁸⁵Evidently, Rav Gershon Henokh is quoting this passage in the Zohar as an example of the Rabbi Shimon’s reception and revelation of the wisdom of the Book of Adam. The Zohar refined the knowledge of the book of Adam in a way that could be accessed by later generations.