Chasidut su Giobbe 19:26

The true foundation of the fear of God is faith. Only by understanding and consciously believing in the supreme lofty heights of God, and then actively fearing Him, does fear become complete. Man’s normal experience of fear usually stems from an awareness of his own deficiencies. Of this it is said (Yeshayahu, 44:17), “He makes himself an idol and bows down to it.”¹⁹⁶In other words, he makes of himself an idol, which he bows down to. This kind of fear is called by the Zohar (Vaeira, 29a), “their fear.”¹⁹⁷That is, their own personal fears, which they project outward, upon the idol. Since idolaters are deficient, they believe that by prostrating themselves to an idol and expressing their fear, stemming from a recognition of their own deficiency, the idol will emit a flow of energy to fill their lacks.¹⁹⁸Using the example in note 177, above, we can say that a strong person fears being weak. He therefore prays to an idol to save him from weakness, although all he his really doing is projecting his own inner fears outward, and fearfully worshipping them. And even though the idol is actually powerless to do so, the idolater still believes that by projecting his fear outward, he himself will become complete. Ultimately, he is only worshiping the very deficiency that he fears. This is called, “bowing down to his idol.”¹⁹⁹In other words, to the particular trait or idea that he has idolized. The word for idol in Hebrew, “pesel,” is connected to the word for pasul, which means “invalid” or “deficient.” Further in the Beit Yaakov it will be explained that the fear of the idolater, expressed in a place where he knows he is lacking, takes on two forms. The idolater will either erect a form of the lack itself, or a form of the fulfillment of that lack. A weak person will worship either the image of a hero, or the image a weakling. This will all be explained. The service of Israel, however, is different. For we recognize the awesome heights of God precisely through our own deficiencies,²⁰⁰This is opposite the process that leads to idolatry. Here, the awareness of one’s own deficiencies leads to an awareness of God’s grandeur and exaltedness, engendering a fear of God’s own greatness – not the projection of one’s own deficiencies onto an idol. as it is written (Iyov, 19:26), “From my flesh (meaning my limitations and deficiencies) I shall see God.” It is written in the Zohar (Emor, 90b): “I will dwell among the downtrodden and low of spirit.” (Yeshayahu, 57:15) This is the place of the greatest wholeness. When one brings himself low so that the awesome pride of the Supernal One, the Pride of all, may rest upon him, this is a place of wholeness.²⁰¹One’s personal sense of lowliness brings about a revelation of Supernal Pride; that is, lowliness itself engenders a sense of a wholeness in that it connects one to God. This is mentioned in the introduction to the Tikkunei Zohar (5b): The seventh level in the fear of God is one who lacks nothing,²⁰²Note the subtle shift of approach the author makes with this passage of the Zohar, as well the following one. Previously, R. Gershon Henokh juxtaposed the fear of idolators, which is born out of their sense of personal lack, to the rectified fear of Israel, in which a sense of lack produces an appreciation of God’s completeness. Now, the author begins to discuss a type of fear that is the result of completeness. Based upon this and other Izhbitzer texts (see Tzidkat HaTzaddik 212), he seems to mean the following: Because of Israel’s belief (emunah) in God’s utter transcendence, the sense of lack they feel does not result in idolatry – which is the transference of personal lack onto the divinity. Rather, Israel’s lack proves the very opposite – that God is wholely complete and transcendent, as R. Gershon Hanokh interprets the verse, “From my flesh, I see God” – “from my limitations, I deduce the Divine.” In other words – ironically – the idolaters desire for wholeness only exacerbates his weakness, whereas Israel’s acceptance of their weakness allows them to partake of the Divine wholeness. The author further explains that the correct means by which to assuage one’s sense of lack is Torah study. For Torah study frees a person from being fixated on a singular value or truth; thus he does not experience the fear resulting from a sense of personal deficiency in its loss. What is left is a sense of Divine transcendence, which engenders awe. (See note 195.) as it is written (Tehillim, 34:10), “Fear God, His holy ones, for there is nothing lacking to those who fear Him.” He is not one of those of whom it is said (Mishlei, 11:24), “Another withholds unduly, but only comes to lack.” If he is a Torah scholar, he shall not be lacking in Torah, for without Torah, there is no fear of God. This is as it is said (Pirkei Avot, 2:5), “An unlearned person does not fear sin.” Just as there is no Torah without the fear of God, similarly, there is no fear of God without the Torah.

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.

In the beginning of Kanfei Yonah,³⁵⁹R. Moses Yonah, a student of R. Isaac Luria, both in 16th century Safed. the Ari [R. Isaac Luria] is cited as saying the following: “Know that we are granted permission to speak in corporeal metaphors only in order to facilitate our understanding, as the verse says ‘and from my flesh I shall see my God.’³⁶⁰Job 19:26. But you, wise one, purify your thoughts and know that there is no corporeality above, God forbid, and that we have no permission to engage in matters prior to Atzilut...but regarding the ten sefirot and below, we do have permission to utilize metaphors and imagery.” And in his commentary to Sifra diTzniutah,³⁶¹A section of the Zohar; literally translated as “Book of the Modest (or Humble).” he says “Let not your thoughts entice you into saying that in the supernal emanations there are apparitions and colors, for those who believe as such are doomed to hell...for there are no colors nor apparitions...indeed, though, their roots are above…” That is, regarding the realm above Atzilut we do not even have permission to contemplate, even metaphorically; it is only from the ten sefirot and below that we have permission to utilize metaphors and imagery.