Chasidut su Salmi 34:78

"You must not bend etc and not recognize a face" (Deuteronomy 16:20) because it is written "you shall not have other gods before Me [lit. in front of My face]" (Exodus 20:3) and one can explain it like this: behold, the Blessed Creator is called "face of every thing", since every thing has a piece of divinity that makes it present and gives it vitality, and if, God forbid, a person thinks a extraneous thought, or looks at something evil, then one turns away and distances one's face from it. And the extraneous thoughts and the evil sightings and evil passing thoughts are called "other gods" and this is "you shall not have other gods etc" and this is [also] "you must not recognize faces" that is to say, that you will not sin and not think outside thoughts, so that you won't distance the face and become estranged from yourself. "You shall take no bribe because the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, etc" (Deuteronomy 16:20), and at a first glance don't our eyes see many and many receivers of bribe, and they are healthy, and strong, and they die closing their eyes? But the issue is that the righteous person who is dedicated to Hashem in truth merits high levels in the eyes of His intellect, that is, the higher Wisdom, and this is "the eyes of Hashem are on the righteous" (Psalms 34:16) that the Holy One of Blessing gives merit to the righteous in the eyes of the Higher Intellect, and this is "you shall not take etc because the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise etc", meaning that the person will not merit in the eyes of His intellect in the Higher Wisdom, "and perverts the words of the righteous" that is, the righteous that speak in their holiness the receiver of bribes perverts them, that is, not just that that person will not merit Higher Wisdom, but also if the righteous want to negate their words and return that person to the good, their words will not help that person, since all their words will appear to that person as perverted.

We find in the Talmud “From where do we know that a priest with a physical defect is invalid.? As it says ‘Behold I give him my covenant of peace (/SHaLOM/)’, when is he whole/complete (/SHaLeM/) therefore and not lacking. This is problematic however for SHaloM is written, with a VaV (and therefore does not have the meaning of complete/whole). But the Vav is severed (and therefore it may be read as having the meaning complete/whole). Elsewhere the Talmud explains the verse from Psalms “Pinchas stood in reckoning (VaYiPaLeL). VaYiTPaLeL (prayer) is not written, rather VaYiPaLeL (entreaty), to teach that he made a ׳reckoning׳ )(PeLiLaH) with his Creator.

"These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Pact, etc." For it is known that Torah is the names of the Holy Blessed One. The Name of the The Blessed One is, "Was, Is, and Will Be - Eternal, Alive, Everlasting for Eternity." And Torah is also this. So what does it mean that this was the time that the Tabernacle was made and what does it teach us about the path today? The Torah should be read in order to teach us to way we should go. Surely at every time and season the Torah is clothed for the needs of that particular time and season. There are those who say: God created the world for the sake of the Torah which is called (Proverbs 8:22) “The beginning (ראשית) of His (God’s) way”, and for the sake of Israel who are called (Jeremiah 2:3) “The beginning (ראשית) of His (God’s) increase’." This is explained by way of a parable: A King who has wise children, capable of running the kingdom bring the King more satisfaction and joy than if he were to run the kingdom himself. We are the children of the Ever-Present, and this explains the phrase "No good comes to the world except through Israel." (Israel) makes a path to bring down the abundant flow to the lower realms. This is "Ascribe might to God, whose majesty is over Israel" (Psalm 68:35) Israel adds strength to the Entourage of Above, and the Angels do not sing praises above until Israel is singing them below. "When the morning stars sang together and all the divine beings shouted for joy" (Job 38:7). Israel is likened to the stars, and thus aroused all of the Heavenly beings there. This is the intention of the Creator that created all that is found because of Torah and because of Israel. The content of this intention of the Holy Blessed One was that each person of Israel would be a "Tabernacle" of the Holy Blessed One. As it is written (Exodus 25:8) "Make for me a Sanctuary and I will dwell within them. Within "it" is not written, rather, I will dwell within the children of Israel. "The Temple of the Lord, the temple of Lord are these. (Jeremiah 7:4). But isn't it impossible for a person to be a Tabernacle of Hashem while the Evil Inclination is within a person? "The couch is too short for stretching out" (Isaiah 28:20). )(Rabbi Yonatan) said: This bed is too short for two counterparts. (Yoma 9b) Thus it is said "Turn from evil" (Psalm 34:15) That a person should burn the evil from within him and thus it could be that Hashem Baruch Hu who is called, "The Lord is good to all" (Psalm 145:9) will reside inside of the person. This happens after a person fulfills "Turn from evil" and thus makes the repair that the "Good of the Lord" will be within you. “All the end-times have passed, and the matter [now] depends only on teshuvah” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 97b). And what is teshuvah? For when a person was in his mother’s belly, God’s “candle burned over his head, and he saw from one end of the world to the other… and they taught him the entire Torah” (Niddah 30b); for he was a dwelling-place [mishkan] for Blessed God, and this is [the meaning of] the candle that was over his head. But after he came out of his mother’s belly sin crouches at the door (Gen. 4:7), and an angel comes and slaps him on the mouth and makes him forget so that he will have free will, so he will have reward and punishment. And a person must do teshuvah to bring God back to him as at the beginning. And this is [the meaning of] Then the LORD your God will turn back to your captives (Deut. 30:3) – it does not say “return,” but rather “turn back to,” meaning that after the teshuvah Blessed God will return to dwell [lishkone] within the person. Now, the essence of teshuvah is abandoning sin with a full heart and regret. For what is written in the Books, that fasts correct sin, is because it is impossible for him truly to abandon the sin and truly regret until after he has afflicted himself; and then his uncircumcised heart will surrender and he will be able to regret and abandon the sin truly. And the root of the matter lies in the human’s being created by God’s Word. And he is called “engraving” on account of his being surely hewn in supernal holiness. Now, when a person sins he is made into a corpse; for on account of the sin, Blessed God’s life-force left him. But after verbal confession, along the lines of (incomplete)*

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.

Since our entire purpose is to to bring you closer to the Torah and have you follow God's path, we must therefore prepare you according to what the Torah itself teaches (Psalms 34:15) - "Shun evil and do good." For it is impossible to bring in the King without first cleaning the room. And it is [likewise] impossible for a person to sanctify himself if he has not first removed the evil from his heart. Hence it is up to us to search for every trace that can hold you back in your learning and in your connection to God, and to expel it. But we can only search together with you. And together with you will we examine you, to see and find and destroy the crumbs of chametz and the specks of rot inside of you. For who is your main educator if not yourself? And who has the main responsibility of educating and raising the Jewish lads and young men - the cedars of Lebanon and Torah giants - if not you, yourselves, the lads and young men? And who like you will know your shortcomings that need to be fixed? And who like you is able to so well know your aberrations - which differ and vary with each lad - and to straighten them out? We can only assist you, prepare the straight path for you, teach you and say, "This way, this path or this trail is crooked, and the person that walks on it will reach the nethermost pit and the 'other side,' God forbid. (Editor's note from the printed edition: As there can be a man who follows the Torah in all of his actions, but abberates and is lenient in what appears to him to be minor things. Though his path is good, he may also descend to the pit, God forbid, because of the error he made on a small path or small trail to the side.) However this way, path or trial is straight, and the one who walks on it will reach the forearms of God and the glory of the majesty of His holiness, may He be blessed." But any father, teacher or guide can only tell you and advise you. It is up to you to listen to him, to act and educate yourself according to his path and what he tells you, and to internalize every thought that comes out of his mouth into all the chambers of your heart and being - so that it shall be well for you. But if, God forbid, you refuse and rebel, who or what will help you, to save your spirits from the husk (klipah) that kidnaps Jewish spirits, God forbid? Only you, yourselves, are able to search the recesses of your heart and the nooks and crannies of your spirits to find their shortcomings - everyone according t0 his personality - and to fix them. So we will only speak about some of them and explain their remedies. But you will be able to learn from them how to seek, find and fix all of your issues.

When David, in psalms 34,16 spoke about the ‎עיני ה'‏‎, “the ‎Lord’s eyes,” he did not mean that G’d possesses “eyes” and other ‎organs in the sense that we understand this in our regions of the ‎universe, but what he means is if, as our sages tell us that the ‎features of the patriarch Yaakov were engraved on G’d’s “throne,” ‎to the question of ”whence did images of such physical organs ‎penetrate the heavenly spheres,” both David and our sages ‎describe how G’d has an enduring reminder of the ‎accomplishment of the righteous and the organs they have used ‎to serve Him and perform His commandments had them ‎‎“engraved“ on His throne as a constant reminder, especially at ‎times when His people experience a spiritual slump. At such ‎times, the “eye” engraved on G’d’s throne may be closed instead ‎of open. When Rabbi Yehudah in Avot 2,1 warned us to ‎look at ‎מה למעלה ממך‎, he did not refer that we should look at G’d, ‎but he meant that we should remember that the image of man ‎engraved on G’d’s throne reflects the condition of man down on ‎earth as the images on G’d’s throne are not static but their ‎condition alternates according to the spiritual condition of His ‎people on earth. This “eye” on G’d’s throne observes what we do ‎on earth; the ears on that countenance of our patriarch Yaakov ‎‎“hear” what and how we speak. Its condition reflects whether ‎what it heard gave G’d pleasure or the reverse. Rabbi Yehudah ‎reminds us that it is what we do down here that determines ‎whether our image in the celestial regions remains a positive one.‎

For the root of an Israelite’s animalistic-soul is the face of the ox in the Chariot, as is known from the Raya Mehemna (Naso 123) and in the other holy works, and has become physical in this world and within him due to his lowly actions. When he kindles his light and soul, the holy root of his animal soul is revealed and becomes holy again. When his body and inclinations become holy, the worldly things which he eats and drinks, and which become his flesh and energy, become literally holy when he serves God with the force accrued by eating them, as is said in the holy books. All of this is dependent on the active avodah he does—not sleepily or weakly, but with force, revealing his holy soul. Then his animalistic soul, and that of the world, become sanctified. This is what his cited in Beit Aharon on the verse “turn from evil and do good:”⁵⁴⁴Psalm 34:14. turn from evil by doing good. For by the good one does in serving God, he will thereby remove the evil.

This is all the more true for us, for whom most of the things we need to speak of in hasidism, and most of the books which need to be written, regard the breadth of hasidism rather than its depth. This is so regarding the revealed facets of Torah as well.⁵⁷³R. Shapiro now applies the notion of unfolding to questions of curriculum and educational foci, such as breadth versus depth of study. It is true of a student of Torah who has already filled his belly⁵⁷⁴See Maimonides, Laws of the Foundations of the Torah 4:13. with Torah, that when he discovers greater depth in the commentaries and sees deeper insights in the Gemara [Talmud], Rashi and Tosafot, his desire to diligently engage in Torah is aroused. But will deep insights help the youth who have abandoned Torah study because they do not want or are unable to strengthen and expend effort in it? Will we rectify this abandonment and draw them close to Torah by adding books with greater depth? If we want to benefit them, we must write books with greater breadth of Torah, which will make it easier from them from the beginning, with minimal efforts, to understand G’R’T [Gemara, Rashi, Tosafot]. Then, when they ‘taste and see that it is good,’⁵⁷⁵Psalms 34:8. they will expend effort and toil, even in depth. The same is true with hasidism: Now we must unfold and develop along with the generation; for how will it help us to teach them from the deep secrets of hasidism, if they will not understand them? And even if they do, it will be only with their intellects, for they will not expend effort to become sanctified, to become hasidim, with their entire selves.⁵⁷⁶The strategy of merely increasing traditional learning as a bulwark against attrition is therefore deemed either totally inefficacious or, at best, insufficient.

Exodus 29,9. “you shall ordain Aaron and his ‎sons.” We know that in this lower world, better known as ‎עולם הזה‎, “this world,” i.e. the world inhabited by mortal ‎creatures, we cannot find absolute perfection, as every creature is ‎tied to a greater or lesser degree to the need to satisfy physical ‎requirements. It is also a fact that these “joys or satisfactions” our ‎bodies derive from fulfilling their cravings never endure, and we ‎always experience the lack of something. This is the basic ‎difference between serving the Lord, and indulging one’s physical ‎or erotic fantasies. David expressed this beautifully, when he said ‎in psalms 34,11 ‎ודורשי ה' לא יחסרו כל טוב‎, “but those who seek ‎their satisfaction by seeking out G’d will not ever feel that ‎something is missing.” The “good” they will experience will be ‎felt to be absolute, enduring.‎
The elite of our people who have succeeded in glimpsing the ‎אין סוף‎ with their mental eye will be rewarded by this feeling of ‎having attained something sublime, complete.‎
When the Torah instructs Moses to ordain Aaron, by using ‎the expression: ‎ומלאת‎, from the root ‎מלא‎, “full, fill,” it conveys to ‎Moses that Aaron will find total fulfillment in his role as High ‎Priest. Also Aaron’s sons will feel this sense of fulfillment when ‎carrying out their duties in the Tabernacle, an experience that ‎cannot be compared to fulfilling one’s secular needs. When G’d ‎tells Moses about this, it is because He wants him to know that ‎he, Moses, will have a share in elevating both his brother and his ‎nephews to such spiritual heights.‎
Our author feels that the reason why the eight days of ‎consecration were called ‎שמונת ימי מלואים‎, was to symbolize that ‎Aaron and his sons used these days to get familiar with this new ‎level of serving the Lord, something they would not do ad ‎hoc, in their spare time, so to speak, but something that ‎henceforth would afford them a degree of satisfaction that is not ‎to be found when devoting oneself to earthly concerns, however ‎noble in intent and deed. During these days they would ‎experience the meaning of G’d’s presence being among them on ‎earth.‎

What is the meaning of eating “kodesh” – the meat of the Temple sacrifices? It means that a person eats a holy substance that is absorbed in his body. When he serves G-d with the energy he gained from that food, the food itself is elevated. One could argue that for a person who is blemished at the core of his soul, the prohibition of eating kodesh should be greater than for entering the Temple grounds. Eating the kodesh will cause greater destruction than treading on holy ground, since the food is absorbed in his body, and he can use its energy to do whatever he wants, whether good or evil. If he decides to use the power of the kodesh to do something evil, he drags the holy power of the food down to the lowest of levels. In the case of a blemished individual entering the Temple, the holiness surrounds him, and he cannot damage the force of holiness to such a great extent. The essence of Rabbi Shimon’s solution is that blemished Cohen is not at all blemished at the core of his soul. Rather, out of his great love for God, he willingly accepted this blemished state even before he was created – to undergo a process of purification and to endure suffering.⁴⁴²Rav Menahem Nahum of Chernobyl (1730-1798) teaches a similar idea in his work, Meor Eynaim, at the beginning of Parshat Vaeira. God’s hidden wisdom knows exactly how to run the world, and exactly which level of effluence is needed to sustain every particular time, place, and soul. God knows the proper attribute or Sefirah through which this effluence must be revealed. When one experiences success, it is because God’s wisdom knows that that is the precise level of Divine effluence needed for that person. When one endures some kind of suffering or failure, then God had discerned in his impenetrable wisdom this is exactly what is needed for this person in this time and place. No matter what attribute one experiences, it is absolutely essential, and there is really no need for jealousy, because one is just as essential as the other. This is the secret of the verse in the Shema, “You shall love God with all your abundance,” as the Talmud says (Berakhot, 54b), “in whichever attribute God deals with you, thank Him greatly.” According to R. Gershon Hanokh, the soul of the blemished priest – and of every individual who suffers in life – is privy to this knowledge before birth, and willingly accepts G-d’s judgment in his coming into this world. This is as the Zohar says, “God wants these souls in all of their sadness and all of their brokenness.” That is to say, the suffering soul wants to be pushed out to the furthermost place, to be clothed in a garment that is furthest from the Divine source, and to suffer greatly, for by serving God in the dark, concealed place, he magnifies and sanctifies the Glory of Heaven. This passage in the Zohar concludes: “From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord” (Yeshayahu, 66:23) “All flesh,” precisely. They will be completely rejuvenated, and need to be renewed in the renewal of the moon.⁴⁴³The Zohar uses the moon as a symbol for the Shekhina, which is presently blemished and in exile – corresponding to the moon’s own waxing and waning. This deficiency in the Shekhina is the source of all the pains and suffering of humankind. In the Messianic era, when the Shekhina will be redeemed and fully united with G-d, the “moon” will be full, and human suffering will come to an end. They are in a constant partnership with the moon, sharing her blemish. For this reason, she dwells constantly within them, never leaving them. This is as it is said (Yeshayahu, 57:15), “I dwell with the downtrodden and broken of spirit.” And it is written (Tehillim, 34:19), “God is close to the broken hearted.” Since they suffer the same blemish as the moon, they are always close to her. Therefore, in order to bring new life to the broken hearted, they will have a portion of that life that will be renewed. The ones that suffer together with her shall be renewed together with her. This is called the suffering of love. This suffering is born of the soul’s love, and not from the man himself. It is out of love, for the light of the small love is blemished and pushed away from great love.⁴⁴⁴The Mikdash Melech reads, “‘The small love’ – Malkhut. ‘From the great love,’ Zeir (Anpin), for Malkhut is built out of the Hasadim (forces of loving-kindness coming through Zeir Anpin), which is called, ‘love.’”

(a) In the name of my grandfather and teacher, of blessed memory: He explained the disagreement between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel as to whether one increases day by day or decreases. He explained that, in the lamp, there is an aspect of illumination and one of combustion, that being to burn the waste material and to purge the inside by the fire of desire for Him, may He be blessed. And Beit Shammai are of the view that, initially, it is necessary to "depart from evil [and (then) do good]" (Ps. 34:14), and thus the practice of decreasing day by day. And Beit Hillel are of the view that the main idea is to increase day by day, such that the enthusiasm that illuminates through him will purify his body and will automatically purge the waste material. (b) And this is also what is written that Yosef placed Menashe first, while Ya'akov placed Efraim first. For the name Menashe is from "God has made me forget [nashani] ... my travail" (Gen. 41:51), as with "forget your people and your father's house" (Ps. 45:11), and he thought this about Ya'akov. But Ya'akov our ancestor, peace be on him, realized that not everyone is prepared for this, and he placed Efraim first [see Gen. 41:52: Efraim "for God has made me fertile (hifrani)"], corresponding to the view of Beit Hillel. Thus far [my grandfather's] statement, may his memory be for a blessing. (c) And according to this, both the formulation "increases day by day" and the formulation "decreases day by day" make sense, for they are in truth two paths. There are those who proceed by diminishing the subjugation of the body, and there are those who proceed by increasing the light of the spirit and of the insides. And this is a matter of "Ehad marbeh v'ehad mam'it" [originally, it is all the same whether one does much or one does little, provided that one directs one's mind towards Heaven. Ber. 5b, 17a]. And these two aspects are of Hallel and Thanksgiving, as we have said elsewhere.

And now, for the sake of our brothers and friends, who tremble at the word of God, seeking the Torah and loving its wisdom, I will now say, “Peace unto the lovers of God’s Torah!” Come, House of Yaakov, and you will walk in the light of God,⁴⁸¹Yeshayahu, 2:5. may God be with us as He was with our forefathers, He shall not forsake us and He shall not forget us.⁴⁸²Melachim 1, 8:57 He shall forever lead us by peaceful waters, our rest shall be in our very progression from strength to strength, to ascend the ladder fixed in the ground which rises to Heaven! As for our revilers, who ask why we bother to invest so much contemplation into the Torah until our strength is exhausted? Who claim that the simple explanations of the written and oral Torah is enough. To them, I will offer noble words⁴⁸³See Mishlei, 8:6. which draw the heart of man. Come and consider, see and behold! Taste and see that God is good⁴⁸⁴Tehillim, 34:9 to those who yearn for their souls to be restored by His perfect Torah.⁴⁸⁵See Tehillim, 19:8. Those who contemplate it in the depths of their hearts will see and understand that those who taste its depths will merit life. These are the things that man will do and through them he shall live for eternity. Do you not see now that the house of Yaakov is faithful and the house of Yosef is your provider?⁴⁸⁶Bereshit, 42:6. From the time the house was established, he has been faithful to sustain Israel with every word that comes out of the mouth of God upon which man lives.⁴⁸⁷“…he would make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but rather by all that comes forth from the mouth of G-d” (Devarim, 8:3). Interpreted in hasidic terms, this means that it is not physical sustenance that gives life, but the Divine essence within the food that enlivens. So, too, the author rails against those who neglect or deny the deeper meaning of the Torah, which is like being concerned only with the body and not the soul. On a more personal level, he seems to be attacking those who deny the validity of the unique (and controversial) interpretative approach of his grandfather, R. Mordechai Yosef of Izhbitz, and of his father, R. Yaakov. Those who reject it have “no portion in Yaakov and no inheritance in the house of Yosef.” This shall cast away those who say that they have no portion in Yaakov and no inheritance in the house of Yosef. Their ways are crooked⁴⁸⁸Mishlei, 2:15 and they pervert the explanations of the Torah, hanging their misunderstandings like a lyre, preaching all of their logic which has no basis in God’s Torah, not in the words of the Tanaaim and Amoraim of the oral law, and all that they imagine they hang on a great tree⁴⁸⁹That is, claim that they can based their false interpretation on valid, earlier sources. Here, too, the author may be critiquing those who claim that Maimonides was a rationalist, who did not deal with the secrets of the Torah. The author proved that claim wrong in the first half of this work. asserting, “This is the meaning of the Torah.” For these, the House of Yaakov will be a fire and the House of Yosef like a flame!⁴⁹⁰Ovadia, 1:18. They will see and learn. They will see how to reveal the Torah of God from the plain meaning of the words, for are not His words like fire,⁴⁹¹Yirmiyahu, 23:29. and all who desire its light with truth and faith can come and warm themselves? And likewise, as a flame it will burn all those who learn Torah in order to vex the scholars of the mysteries, and who wear it as a crown and wield it as an axe.⁴⁹²See the Talmud, Pirke Avot, 4:5 And now, House of Yaakov, walk in the light of God and come home. See and understand that all the words of the Torah written in this book are needed for every man of Israel, in every place and every time. And how all of the events recorded in the Torah can illuminate every soul and instruct him how to sustain his life and all that he goes through with justice.⁴⁹³Tehillim 112:5. For the words of the Torah are living and enduring for all eternity. All who contemplate the Torah grasp onto the tree of life, and it is life for those who hold onto it.⁴⁹⁴Mishlei, 3:18. May God illuminate our eyes to His Torah, and place His love and fear in our hearts, in order to do His will, and to serve Him with a whole heart.⁴⁹⁵From the liturgy of the morning prayer, in the blessing before the reading of the Shema Yisrael.