Chasidut su Salmi 104:78
Mei HaShiloach
And you will remember Ad-nai your God, who is the Giver of your strength to do valor. It is a main principle to remember the giver of anything. And as we find regarding the tithes (Deut. 26:13) "I did not transgress Your command and I did not forget" and in the Gemara we read "I did not transgress not blessing You and I did not forget to mention Your name over the produce" (Brachot 40b). And even regarding the words of Torah, if a person did not remember to say "Giver of the Torah" one's wisdom does not amount to anything. And therefore the Holy Blessed One set it so that the Human cannot exist without food, so the Human will lack something, and your creations will take great effort, and you will remember the One who brings about the Flow - and this is the level of Israel: they remember the One who brings about the Flow constantly. And through this they receive the inner energy of food, since in truth every thing has a specific quality, such as "wine that gladdens the heart of people" (Ps. 104:15) etc, and dates that make worry go away , as it is written in the Gemara (Ketubot 10b). And the opposite we also find in the Gemara, such as that the flour of barley is hard on the intestines (Brachot 36a), and so too the five grains there is a depth that precisely those five grains give strength and power to humans, and this is why the minimal amount is a olive-size. And regarding oil too, it indicates that "the beginning of wisdom is the awe of God" (Tzidkat HaTzadik 147:1) - and in this it is all the idea that a person must not say "my strength and my power brought me all this", one should constantly remember that "from all that comes from the mouth of God does a person live" (Deut. 8:3), that the essence of existence is what comes from the mouth of God, which is found in the essence of all things , and from this one should bless so that strength and force will flow from what one brought inside oneself, so that one will be able to serve God with that strength, as it is written [wisdom says] "for through me your days will increase, and years be added to your life. " (Proverbs 9:11)
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Likutei Halakhot
This corresponds to the 4 cups of wine at the Passover Seder. Wine has two parts, as our Rabbis Z"L said, "if a person is worthy it makes him a head and if he is not worthy it makes him a poor person". Yoma 76b. This means that a person's knowledge is elevated by the wine, and being that the essence of knowledge is the revelation of providence, knowledge of providence is enhanced by drinking wine and one becomes a 'head'. But when a person is not worthy, the opposite happens and one becomes poor, for the true pauper is he who lacks knowledge, which is the main cause of material poverty. When a person lacks knowledge of providence, which is the essence of knowledge, this causes poverty, as in, "you shall eat it with despair" (Genesis 3:17), representing oppression and poverty that come on account of the blemish of eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which corresponds to natural sciences. Furthermore, nature corresponds to darkness and night, corresponding to the blemish of the moon, which is the root source of poverty, as is known. Wine is therefore comprised of both elements: it brings on sleep, which corresponds to nature, which corresponds to night and sleep, and when one is worthy, it arouses from sleep, as in, "your pallet is like good wine which makes the lips of the sleeping speak". Song of songs 7:10. Good wine, which comes from the realm of holiness, arouses a person from sleep, represented by speech. During sleep, speech disappears, while good wine arouses from sleep and evokes speech, which comes from knowledge, as in 'makes the lips of the sleeping speak', which corresponds to providence, corresponding to the arousal from sleep. And since wine is comprised of both elements, when a person is worthy it represents knowledge, Providence, as in, "wine that makes glad", corresponding to the world of the future, as in "wine makes glad" (Psalms 104:15). And when one is not worthy it is an intoxicating wine, which confuses knowledge and errs with natural sciences, which corresponds to sleep. Therefore wine must be carefully guarded from the touch of a non-Jew, more than anything else. Nothing else in the world besides wine becomes forbidden by the touch of a non-Jew. As soon as a non-Jew touches wine, and touch is with the hands, the wine is drawn into the realm of nature, which corresponds to the non-Jew, since the wine itself is comprised of both aspects. Therefore a non-Jew, who corresponds to nature, makes the wine impure with the touch of his hand, for the wine is immediately drawn into the realm of nature, and is therefore unsuitable for a Jew, who is above nature, and whose food and drink should be holy, since the knowledge of providence is drawn through food and drink. Therefore, the blemish of the wine is specifically by their touch with the hands, for the blemish of the knowledge of providence is mainly through a blemish of the hands, of the 28 phalanges of the hands, which correspond to the 28 letters of creation. The hands of the non-Jews though, are the opposite of this, and are in the category of "the hands are the hands of Esau" (Genesis 27:22), corresponding to the mistaken belief in nature, corresponding to "my power and the might of my hand", and therefore wine is blemished by the hand of a non-Jew. This forbidden wine is then in the category of the mistaken belief in natural sciences, which corresponds to sleep. This is alluded to in the word Nesekh, נֶסֶךְ, the term for forbidden wine, as in, "For G-d Nasakh נָסַךְ (poured) a spirit of slumber" (Isaiah 29:10), which refers to stargazers who have a mistaken belief in the constellations. Therefore at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, when Providence was revealed, it is a commandment to drink 4 cups of wine, for wine is then in the category of 'if one is worthy the one becomes a head', for now at the Passover Seder, knowledge is elevated and providence is greatly revealed through the wine, for G-d drew Providence and broke the night, the sleep, as in "around midnight I will go out within Egypt". Wine is then in the category of 'wine makes glad' and a person is able to speak and tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt on this night, by means of the wine as in 'wine makes the lips of the sleeping speak'. This corresponds to "song is only recited on wine". Berachot 35b. For all songs are drawn from the world of the future, when song will be aroused in the world, as stated in the holy Zohar III 286b, as in, "Then Moses will sing". Exodus 15:1. It does not say 'sang', in the past tense, but 'will sing' in the future, teaching us that he will sing in the world of the future. Sanhedrin 91b. This is because the essence of song comes from the world of the future, when Moses will sing, for song will then be aroused in the world. This is the source of all songs - song in this world over miracles, for all miracles come about by G-d drawing providence from the end of the world, from the world of the future, into this world. And when a miracle takes place, we draw song from the world of the future into this world, which is all the songs for the miracles that we sing. Therefore, song is only recited over wine, for wine will then be absorbed into holiness, corresponding to knowledge of providence, for the essence of song is drawing providence, which is the song for the miracle, into this world, which is why song should be over wine. This is represented by the 4 cups of wine at the Passover Seder, corresponding to the Four Kingdoms. When wine is absorbed into holiness, corresponding to Providence, all exiles of the Four Kingdoms are subdued, for their main power is through nature, and by means of the Providence that is revealed by the knowledge that is drawn by the 4 cups of wine, they are all eliminated.
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Kedushat Levi
In order to understand why Moses commences with the word וזאת, when commencing with Yehudah’s blessing, instead of simply commencing with: וליהודה, as he did when commencing the blessing of Levi or Joseph or Zevulun, etc., the author refers us to a verse in psalms 45,10 נצבה שגל לימינך בכתם אופיר, “the consort stands at your right hand, decked in gold of Ophir.”
This verse, or section of it, is discussed at length in Rosh Hashanah 4. The Talmud says that - [after discussing the meaning of the word שגל, or משגל, usually an uncouth term used by common people when speaking of sexual intercourse, Ed.]- the psalmist does indeed refer to a description of carnality committed with an animal, (female). When the sages of the Talmud react to this by asking how these words of the psalmist could then be interpreted as a welcome message, the answer given is that the prophet is telling the Jewish people that as a reward for their intense love of Torah, a love which if expressed in physical terms would be as intense as that experienced when gentiles climax in the sexual act, they would merit a similar proximity to G’d and would be treasured by Him as a husband who treasures his wife.
It is still difficult to understand why the Talmud chose precisely intensive Torah study as warranting this kind of reward, when there are many other cravings human beings experience that are as dear to them as indulging in the sexual act?
The answer is that by loving Torah, i.e. serving the One and only Creator, the observant Jew has demonstrated that rather than to be become addicted to some other less dominating influence, he has been intelligent enough to choose to become “addicted” to the King of Kings, instead of settling for second or third best. All other “ideals,” “deities,” “powers,” are transient, bound to disappear sooner or later, whereas G’d is both the origin, the purpose, and the meaningful content of all existence. Moreover, assuming one has craved for some other thing that people develop a craving for, and one has achieved an outstanding record of achievement in one’s chosen field, in the end one has achieved mastery in only one isolated field of human endeavor. Becoming a Talmid Chacham by applying oneself with the same devotion and singularity of purpose to Torah, results in one’s having mastered every discipline, for of Torah it is said that הפוך בה והפוך בה כי כולה בה, “keep turning over its pages again and again for everything you search for is contained in it.” (Avot end chapter 5) Seeing that this is so, true Torah study, when it is the result of a craving for getting closer to G’d, is the high road to succeeding in subduing all one’s cravings, as they are all inspired by the evil urge.
Although the path to G’d we have just described is a good path, it does not constitute the essence of true service of the Creator. The reason is that the person pursuing this path is still, in a manner of speaking, serving “himself,” i.e. with an ulterior motive, however noble that motive may be.
The truest service of the Lord is when one is concerned not with deriving pleasure- even spiritual pleasure from having done one’s duty- but when one’s sole purpose is to provide pleasure or its equivalent in celestial terms, to the Creator. The Creator is to derive satisfaction from His creature’s free willed actions, or in the words of Solomon in Proverbs 23,15:בני אם חכם לבך ישמח לבי גם אני, “My son, if your heart is wise, My heart too will be gladdened;” or in the words of the psalmist 104,31 ישמח ה' במעשיו , “may the Lord rejoice in His creatures’ deeds.” As a result of the Creator being pleased with the person serving Him in such a fashion, He, in turn will “play” with him much as a father plays with his children. This is the meaning of the verses quoted from Proverbs and psalms.
Indulging the various cravings available here on earth results in the person doing so receiving satisfaction, i.e. being turned into a recipient. At the same time man is aware that all such pleasures received on earth are transient in nature and will evaporate into nothingness, eventually.
The same is not the case when one indulges in marital intercourse with a view to producing offspring, posterity, that will replace the party doing so on earth after he has died. The male impregnating the female with his semen has become a “donor” at the very moment when he experiences fulfillment of his own sexual craving. The recipient is the woman in whom his seed has been implanted. To a certain extent, the husband experiences what G’d experiences when He is being worshipped on the highest level, as he has the satisfaction of providing his mate with pleasure.
This is what the Talmud had in mind when it compared the sexual act to the manner in which G’d craves the service of His creature, man, through Torah study. The Talmud wanted to stress the point that man, though merely a creature, is able to become a “donor,” when serving G’d. [This is a revolutionary concept, as we usually view ourselves as recipients of His largesse, especially so, as the relationship between us and our Creator is normally described as that of חתן andכלה , the creature being the כלה, the female of the “team,” i.e. at the receiving end. Ed.]
The Talmud describes how it is possible for Jews to sublimate something that when done by the gentiles is merely something physical, though also the male pagan is a donor when he provides his wife with physical satisfaction; however, since the metaphysical element is completely lacking in what the pagans do, even their most well intentioned efforts to please their partners are ultimately doomed to become extinguished, [as our sages have stated so eloquently when they referred to the letters י and ה respectively in the definition of איש and אישה as being what separates a true Jewish individual, as opposed to males and females of the gentiles in whom carnal desire ends up as being destructive fire, אש. Ed.]
This is also how the Talmud in Shabbat 140B in which Rav Chisda is reported as teaching his daughters ways of chastity is to be understood. He told his daughters to practice chastity even in their dealings with their husbands, such as not eating bread in front of their husbands, as they might be perceived as being too ravenous. This would revolt their husbands. Similarly, they were to be careful not to eat vegetables at night (evening) as this leaves an unpleasant odour coming from their mouths. Neither were they to eat dates or drink beer in the evening as this would lead to diarrhea. Also, when someone knocks on the door of their houses, asking to be allowed to enter, they should not ask מי הוא, “who is it?”, in the masculine mode but מי היא, “who is it,?” in the feminine mode.
As a further illustration of the value of the virtue of chastity, Rav Chisda held up one hand displaying a pearl, while in the other fist he held up a clod of earth until his daughters could no longer conceal their curiosity as to what their father had concealed in the second hand (fist).
When, to the dismay of his daughters, he displayed the clod of earth, he told them that their impatience to know what he had concealed in his fist was proof that people are drawn to worthless objects because they are concealed, whereas they look with disdain at precious objects, as these objects no longer arouse their curiosity. [What his daughters would conceal from their husbands for a while would intrigue their husbands, whereas what their husbands were familiar with about them would pale into insignificance.
You, the reader, have no doubt noticed that Rav Chisda’s last example about “chastity” quoted in the Talmud is totally different from the previous ones, and this is what prompted our author to resort to an allegorical interpretation, as the Talmud was not meant to provide us with “tidbits” about the personal lives of our Torah scholars.
Before presenting our author’s intriguing explanation, let me point out that the מאירי in his בית הבחירה on that folio in the Talmud offers a very good explanation without resorting to allegories. As his commentary had not been discovered until long after our author had died, he could not have been aware of it. Ed.]
A woman is equipped with two distinct sources of providing life/nourishment. 1) The visible source, her breasts from which the infant receives its life support and which fulfils all its needs. The invisible source is her womb. Her breasts are used to dispense loving kindness, whereas her womb is the location where she receives loving kindness.
If we substitute G’d as the speaker in the quotation from the Talmud of Rav Chisda to his daughters, and we see in the pearl Rav Chisda held in his hand, a simile for the manifest deeds of loving kindness performed by G’d for His creatures, this is an allusion to the first, and easy path for man to learn to serve his Creator. The impatience with which Rav Chisda’s daughters waited for their father to open his fist, represents man’s impatience for G’d to provide him with a “reason” to worship and serve Him by not merely being on the receiving end, but by being able to become “donors,” providing their Creator with satisfaction and pleasure. By providing Him with such pleasure, man also provides G’d’s celestial entourage with a measure of satisfaction.
This idea has also been expressed by Hoseah 2,18 when he says concerning a time in the future: והיה ביום ההוא נאום ה' תקראי אישי ולא תקראי לי עוד בעלי, “when that day will arrive you will call Me ‘my husband,’ and you will no longer call me: ‘my Master.’” When one perceives of one’s husband as בעל, “master,” instead of as אישי, “my male counterpart,” my complement, then it is obvious that one does not perceive of oneself as a Donor, but only as a recipient. The vision of Hoseah in the verse quoted looks forward to the time when not only a few individuals are able to serve G’d in the manner described as the “second path,” i.e. unabashedly aware that they too are “donors” when serving the Lord, not only “recipients.” When we keep this point in mind we can understand the verse in Hoseah as not only referring to the relationship between husband and wife, but to the relationship between Creator and creature. The prophet implies that the “largesse” man receives from G’d is tailored to his ability to appreciate it, and to use it as a stepping-stone to improve his relationship with his Creator. [The exception, presumably, is when G’d is “forced” to recompense the wicked for the good they have done on earth, as they have no afterlife to look forward to where they can make use of their “reward.” Ed.]
No two people are identical in their ability to “cope” successfully, i.e. in a manner that builds their character, with the same amount of G’d’s “largesse.” Just as a doctor does not prescribe the same dose of medicine for all of his patients, so G’d does not dispense the same amount of largesse to two people. Each one receives what G’d alone knows to be ideal for his condition.
Nonetheless sometimes G’d dispenses His largesse to some people not based strictly on their deserts or ability to “digest” it constructively, but according to His independent wisdom, and the privilege He enjoys as being the creature’s “owner.” In other words, sometimes a person receives an “advance” on what he will be entitled to in the future, although he has not yet completed the preparatory steps for “deserving” what he is about to receive. This type of “advance payment” by G’d is dispensed only when the individual concerned is still on the level of serving the Lord according to what we have called “path one.” This level is known in kabbalistic parlance as עלמא דנוקבא, “the world in which the feminine element dominates,” i.e. a world dependent on external help, largesse from the Creator. Some people receive what the author calls “largesse” commensurate with the strength of a “wolf,” whereas others receive largesse according to the ability of a “lion” to make constructive use of it.
Once the recipient of G’d’s largesse has “qualified” to serve the Lord according to what we called “path two,” he is not in need of further assistance. The level these people have attained is known in kabbalistic parlance as עלמא דדכורא, “the masculine domain of the world”. [Once these people have come to understand that it is possible to be a “donor” vis a vis the Creator, they would not even appreciate it if G’d would “assist” them in their quest, as they would see in such “assistance” proof of their own inadequacy. Donors, by definition, are self-propelled. The last 6 lines are not the author’s but mine. The author proceeds along a somewhat different path, as you will see forthwith. Ed.]
This world of the masculine domain has been blessed by G’d with something known as כללות, a term that allows for the recipient of G’d’s largesse not to be restricted to his spiritual status. [The term כללות is not really appropriate as we no longer speak about domains in the terrestrial part of the universe. Ed.] It is a domain exclusively presided over by the אין סוף G’d in His capacity as the Eternal, unbounded by any limitations.. Seeing that this is so, anyone having secured access to this domain becomes privy to the רצון, the will of the אין סוף, a will that is not hindered from being executed by opposing forces, and he is able to achieve things in the spiritual domain that he was not able to achieve while bound by the limits of lower domains.
[The author now speaks, or rather alludes, to a domain of אותיות and two tiers of domains known as אמונה which I am not familiar with. Ed.] Suffice it for the reader to remember that just as the physical universe of which the Torah speaks at the beginning of בראשית, consists of three layers, i.e. בריאה-יצירה עשיה, so the spiritual disembodied universe known as עולם האצילות, also consists of various layers, tiers.
This verse, or section of it, is discussed at length in Rosh Hashanah 4. The Talmud says that - [after discussing the meaning of the word שגל, or משגל, usually an uncouth term used by common people when speaking of sexual intercourse, Ed.]- the psalmist does indeed refer to a description of carnality committed with an animal, (female). When the sages of the Talmud react to this by asking how these words of the psalmist could then be interpreted as a welcome message, the answer given is that the prophet is telling the Jewish people that as a reward for their intense love of Torah, a love which if expressed in physical terms would be as intense as that experienced when gentiles climax in the sexual act, they would merit a similar proximity to G’d and would be treasured by Him as a husband who treasures his wife.
It is still difficult to understand why the Talmud chose precisely intensive Torah study as warranting this kind of reward, when there are many other cravings human beings experience that are as dear to them as indulging in the sexual act?
The answer is that by loving Torah, i.e. serving the One and only Creator, the observant Jew has demonstrated that rather than to be become addicted to some other less dominating influence, he has been intelligent enough to choose to become “addicted” to the King of Kings, instead of settling for second or third best. All other “ideals,” “deities,” “powers,” are transient, bound to disappear sooner or later, whereas G’d is both the origin, the purpose, and the meaningful content of all existence. Moreover, assuming one has craved for some other thing that people develop a craving for, and one has achieved an outstanding record of achievement in one’s chosen field, in the end one has achieved mastery in only one isolated field of human endeavor. Becoming a Talmid Chacham by applying oneself with the same devotion and singularity of purpose to Torah, results in one’s having mastered every discipline, for of Torah it is said that הפוך בה והפוך בה כי כולה בה, “keep turning over its pages again and again for everything you search for is contained in it.” (Avot end chapter 5) Seeing that this is so, true Torah study, when it is the result of a craving for getting closer to G’d, is the high road to succeeding in subduing all one’s cravings, as they are all inspired by the evil urge.
Although the path to G’d we have just described is a good path, it does not constitute the essence of true service of the Creator. The reason is that the person pursuing this path is still, in a manner of speaking, serving “himself,” i.e. with an ulterior motive, however noble that motive may be.
The truest service of the Lord is when one is concerned not with deriving pleasure- even spiritual pleasure from having done one’s duty- but when one’s sole purpose is to provide pleasure or its equivalent in celestial terms, to the Creator. The Creator is to derive satisfaction from His creature’s free willed actions, or in the words of Solomon in Proverbs 23,15:בני אם חכם לבך ישמח לבי גם אני, “My son, if your heart is wise, My heart too will be gladdened;” or in the words of the psalmist 104,31 ישמח ה' במעשיו , “may the Lord rejoice in His creatures’ deeds.” As a result of the Creator being pleased with the person serving Him in such a fashion, He, in turn will “play” with him much as a father plays with his children. This is the meaning of the verses quoted from Proverbs and psalms.
Indulging the various cravings available here on earth results in the person doing so receiving satisfaction, i.e. being turned into a recipient. At the same time man is aware that all such pleasures received on earth are transient in nature and will evaporate into nothingness, eventually.
The same is not the case when one indulges in marital intercourse with a view to producing offspring, posterity, that will replace the party doing so on earth after he has died. The male impregnating the female with his semen has become a “donor” at the very moment when he experiences fulfillment of his own sexual craving. The recipient is the woman in whom his seed has been implanted. To a certain extent, the husband experiences what G’d experiences when He is being worshipped on the highest level, as he has the satisfaction of providing his mate with pleasure.
This is what the Talmud had in mind when it compared the sexual act to the manner in which G’d craves the service of His creature, man, through Torah study. The Talmud wanted to stress the point that man, though merely a creature, is able to become a “donor,” when serving G’d. [This is a revolutionary concept, as we usually view ourselves as recipients of His largesse, especially so, as the relationship between us and our Creator is normally described as that of חתן andכלה , the creature being the כלה, the female of the “team,” i.e. at the receiving end. Ed.]
The Talmud describes how it is possible for Jews to sublimate something that when done by the gentiles is merely something physical, though also the male pagan is a donor when he provides his wife with physical satisfaction; however, since the metaphysical element is completely lacking in what the pagans do, even their most well intentioned efforts to please their partners are ultimately doomed to become extinguished, [as our sages have stated so eloquently when they referred to the letters י and ה respectively in the definition of איש and אישה as being what separates a true Jewish individual, as opposed to males and females of the gentiles in whom carnal desire ends up as being destructive fire, אש. Ed.]
This is also how the Talmud in Shabbat 140B in which Rav Chisda is reported as teaching his daughters ways of chastity is to be understood. He told his daughters to practice chastity even in their dealings with their husbands, such as not eating bread in front of their husbands, as they might be perceived as being too ravenous. This would revolt their husbands. Similarly, they were to be careful not to eat vegetables at night (evening) as this leaves an unpleasant odour coming from their mouths. Neither were they to eat dates or drink beer in the evening as this would lead to diarrhea. Also, when someone knocks on the door of their houses, asking to be allowed to enter, they should not ask מי הוא, “who is it?”, in the masculine mode but מי היא, “who is it,?” in the feminine mode.
As a further illustration of the value of the virtue of chastity, Rav Chisda held up one hand displaying a pearl, while in the other fist he held up a clod of earth until his daughters could no longer conceal their curiosity as to what their father had concealed in the second hand (fist).
When, to the dismay of his daughters, he displayed the clod of earth, he told them that their impatience to know what he had concealed in his fist was proof that people are drawn to worthless objects because they are concealed, whereas they look with disdain at precious objects, as these objects no longer arouse their curiosity. [What his daughters would conceal from their husbands for a while would intrigue their husbands, whereas what their husbands were familiar with about them would pale into insignificance.
You, the reader, have no doubt noticed that Rav Chisda’s last example about “chastity” quoted in the Talmud is totally different from the previous ones, and this is what prompted our author to resort to an allegorical interpretation, as the Talmud was not meant to provide us with “tidbits” about the personal lives of our Torah scholars.
Before presenting our author’s intriguing explanation, let me point out that the מאירי in his בית הבחירה on that folio in the Talmud offers a very good explanation without resorting to allegories. As his commentary had not been discovered until long after our author had died, he could not have been aware of it. Ed.]
A woman is equipped with two distinct sources of providing life/nourishment. 1) The visible source, her breasts from which the infant receives its life support and which fulfils all its needs. The invisible source is her womb. Her breasts are used to dispense loving kindness, whereas her womb is the location where she receives loving kindness.
If we substitute G’d as the speaker in the quotation from the Talmud of Rav Chisda to his daughters, and we see in the pearl Rav Chisda held in his hand, a simile for the manifest deeds of loving kindness performed by G’d for His creatures, this is an allusion to the first, and easy path for man to learn to serve his Creator. The impatience with which Rav Chisda’s daughters waited for their father to open his fist, represents man’s impatience for G’d to provide him with a “reason” to worship and serve Him by not merely being on the receiving end, but by being able to become “donors,” providing their Creator with satisfaction and pleasure. By providing Him with such pleasure, man also provides G’d’s celestial entourage with a measure of satisfaction.
This idea has also been expressed by Hoseah 2,18 when he says concerning a time in the future: והיה ביום ההוא נאום ה' תקראי אישי ולא תקראי לי עוד בעלי, “when that day will arrive you will call Me ‘my husband,’ and you will no longer call me: ‘my Master.’” When one perceives of one’s husband as בעל, “master,” instead of as אישי, “my male counterpart,” my complement, then it is obvious that one does not perceive of oneself as a Donor, but only as a recipient. The vision of Hoseah in the verse quoted looks forward to the time when not only a few individuals are able to serve G’d in the manner described as the “second path,” i.e. unabashedly aware that they too are “donors” when serving the Lord, not only “recipients.” When we keep this point in mind we can understand the verse in Hoseah as not only referring to the relationship between husband and wife, but to the relationship between Creator and creature. The prophet implies that the “largesse” man receives from G’d is tailored to his ability to appreciate it, and to use it as a stepping-stone to improve his relationship with his Creator. [The exception, presumably, is when G’d is “forced” to recompense the wicked for the good they have done on earth, as they have no afterlife to look forward to where they can make use of their “reward.” Ed.]
No two people are identical in their ability to “cope” successfully, i.e. in a manner that builds their character, with the same amount of G’d’s “largesse.” Just as a doctor does not prescribe the same dose of medicine for all of his patients, so G’d does not dispense the same amount of largesse to two people. Each one receives what G’d alone knows to be ideal for his condition.
Nonetheless sometimes G’d dispenses His largesse to some people not based strictly on their deserts or ability to “digest” it constructively, but according to His independent wisdom, and the privilege He enjoys as being the creature’s “owner.” In other words, sometimes a person receives an “advance” on what he will be entitled to in the future, although he has not yet completed the preparatory steps for “deserving” what he is about to receive. This type of “advance payment” by G’d is dispensed only when the individual concerned is still on the level of serving the Lord according to what we have called “path one.” This level is known in kabbalistic parlance as עלמא דנוקבא, “the world in which the feminine element dominates,” i.e. a world dependent on external help, largesse from the Creator. Some people receive what the author calls “largesse” commensurate with the strength of a “wolf,” whereas others receive largesse according to the ability of a “lion” to make constructive use of it.
Once the recipient of G’d’s largesse has “qualified” to serve the Lord according to what we called “path two,” he is not in need of further assistance. The level these people have attained is known in kabbalistic parlance as עלמא דדכורא, “the masculine domain of the world”. [Once these people have come to understand that it is possible to be a “donor” vis a vis the Creator, they would not even appreciate it if G’d would “assist” them in their quest, as they would see in such “assistance” proof of their own inadequacy. Donors, by definition, are self-propelled. The last 6 lines are not the author’s but mine. The author proceeds along a somewhat different path, as you will see forthwith. Ed.]
This world of the masculine domain has been blessed by G’d with something known as כללות, a term that allows for the recipient of G’d’s largesse not to be restricted to his spiritual status. [The term כללות is not really appropriate as we no longer speak about domains in the terrestrial part of the universe. Ed.] It is a domain exclusively presided over by the אין סוף G’d in His capacity as the Eternal, unbounded by any limitations.. Seeing that this is so, anyone having secured access to this domain becomes privy to the רצון, the will of the אין סוף, a will that is not hindered from being executed by opposing forces, and he is able to achieve things in the spiritual domain that he was not able to achieve while bound by the limits of lower domains.
[The author now speaks, or rather alludes, to a domain of אותיות and two tiers of domains known as אמונה which I am not familiar with. Ed.] Suffice it for the reader to remember that just as the physical universe of which the Torah speaks at the beginning of בראשית, consists of three layers, i.e. בריאה-יצירה עשיה, so the spiritual disembodied universe known as עולם האצילות, also consists of various layers, tiers.
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Baal Shem Tov
When Jews pray and cleave to the Holy One, a voice calls out (Song of Songs 3:11) "Go forth and gaze, daughters of Zion!" Whoever is unworthy of such unification should get away - this is 'go forth'. And anyone who is worthy and open to it will see - this is 'and gaze'. When the kelippot, the husks of darkness, hear this voice they try to interrupt you in your prayer with foreign thoughts of temporal delights. The wise one, though, cleaves to their love and awe of the Holy Creator, and elevates the living sparks in such thought, and says in their heart: What do I get from cleaving to such materiality? better that I should cleave to its vitality, which is a manifestation of one of God's divine energies, namely, wisdom, as it says (Psalms 104:24) "You formed everything in wisdom."
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