Chasidut su Salmi 47:78

Similarly, we find that the generations of the Bible produced several oral traditions of the mysteries of the Torah that were received as valid by our sages. It is accepted that one of the classic Kabbalistic texts, “Raziel HaMalakh” is the same as the book of Adam HaRishon and the book of Hanokh. But clearly, when we look at the version of the book, “Raziel HaMalakh,” that exists today, we see many additions from later sages – from the, “letters of Rabbi Akiva,” to the “Chapters of Rabbi Eliezar,” to the manuscripts of the Geonim.³⁷Geonim (coming from the phrase [Tehillim, 47:5], “ge’on Ya’akov,’ meaning, ‘the pride of Ya’akov’) were the Torah leaders who lived in Babylon immediately after the end of the Talmudic period, from roughly 700 C.E. To 1000 C.E.. Additional material was added by each of the sages of the following generations who possessed this text. This was true with many ancient texts. Each one who had the book would add to it, both the great and the small, according to their levels. Certainly we no longer know the identity of many of the contributors to these books. We attribute the Sefer Yetzirah (the Book of Formation) to Avraham. It contains five chapters. The Magen Avot of R. Shimon bar Tzemach z”l, the “Tashbetz,” mentions this in reference to the statement in the Gemara (Avoda Zara, 14b), “The text of Avraham Avinu’s version of the tractate of Avoda Zara contained of four-hundred chapters, and ours contains only five.” That is, what remains is our Sefer Yetzirah. He counts five chapters, because the sixth is contained in the fifth.³⁸That is, the version of the Sefer Yetzirah in our hands contains six chapters. The “Tashbetz” explains that all of these (missing chapters) dealt with the removal any concept of physicality from the supernal forces, which are ultimately only created entities. This was so that human beings not be deceived into thinking these forces to be godly. That which remains (of the missing chapters) in our possession is the Sefer Yetzirah. This is the knowledge that man needs in order to serve God, which entails separating the holy way of serving G-d from the Divine service from the invalid ways. This is as it is written in the Sefer Yetzirah (Chapter One), “Understand with wisdom, and be wise with understanding, and establish the matter with clarity, and return the Creator to His base.”

There are ten terms of song in the book of Psalms. There were ten authors of the Psalms. Each author excelled in one of these ten forms of poetry. Why ten and not seven or eight? The ten types of melody correspond to the ten Sephiros.⁴⁵⁸See further the Sfas Emes to the Psalms. Each type of song can help purify an aspect of the human personality that corresponds to one of the ten Sephiros.⁴⁵⁹Chasidim teach that the misdeed of a man spilling seed is a source of enormous spiritual damage. Maintaining purity in this realm is called shemiras ha-bris, “preserving the covenant.” Rabbi Nachman of Breslov revealed a means of rectifying misdeeds in this realm. He called this healing prayer the Tikkun Ha-Kelali. It is a collection of ten chapters of Psalms, each of which begins with a different type of song. Through recital of the songs that parallel the ten Sephi-ros every aspect of the human personality and the world can be healed.
The following selections from Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s commentary to Rabbi Nachman’s stories clarify the lesson of the types of melody: “Ten types of melody Rabbi Nachman himself taught that the Ten Psalms were a ‘General rectification’ [tikkun kelali] for all sins, particularly sexual sins, and especially those involving emitting seed in vain [Likkutei Moharan 205; Likkutei Moharan Tinyana 92]. These involved the ten types of melody found in the Psalms. The Ten Psalms are numbers 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150.”
“The Psalms as a whole also contain all ten different types of song [Tikku-nei Zohar 13; Likkutei Moharan Tinyana 92]. King David ended the book with Psalm 150, which contains the expression halelu-hu (“Praise Him”) ten times. The last of these is, “Praise Him with cymbals of teruah” (Ps. 150:5), because the teruah [staccato] also includes all ten types of song” (Likkutei Halachos, Even Ha-Ezer, Peru U-Rvu 3:10).
“Sin and spiritual damage are associated with sadness and depression. The healing is therefore through song, which brings joy” (Cf. Likkutei Moharan 24). “The ten songs were also alluded to in the ten sounds of the shofar. On Rosh Hashanah the shofar is sounded in the following manner: tekiah shevarim teruah tekiah; tekiah shevarim tekiah; tekiah teruah tekiah. Thus, there are a total of ten sounds. These allude to the ten types of song. Furthermore, on Rosh Hashanah, in the Musaf service, ten verses of malchiyos [kingship], ten verses of zichronos [remembrances], and ten verses of shofros [trumpet blasts] are recited. Each set of ten also parallels the ten types of song. Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the ten days of repentance; therefore it has these ten types of song. Song is the basis of repentance, since song leads to joy and joy brings one to the side of merit (Likkutei Moharan 282). It is only through the ten types of song that those who are far from God can be brought back (Likkutei Halachos, Peru U-Rvu 3:10). “The ten days of repentance also parallel the ten types of song. We begin these ten days with Rosh Hashanah, where all ten types of song are brought into play through the ten sounds of the shofar. Shofar is the rectification of these ten types of song, as it is written, “Make song good with the teruah sound” (Ps. 33:3). The Psalm says, “God will rise in teruah; God will rise in the sound othe shofar. Sing to God sing” (Ps. 47:6) (Likkutei Halachos, Peru U -Rvu 3:10). “The ten days of repentance end with Yom Kippur. This completes the ten types of song” (Likkutei Halachos, Peru U-Rvu 3:11, Rabbi Nachman’s Stories pgs. 418-420).

Everything that has been handed down to us about Avram ‎suggests that he was unwavering in his faith in G’d from his very ‎youth, and certainly did not have any theological relapses. ‎Nachmanides stated with absolute certainty, basing himself on ‎Genesis 25,8 that Avram had always considered anything that ‎happened to him as being G’d’s desire and meant for his own ‎good. Nachmanides understood this as being the meaning of the ‎words: ‎זקן ושבע ימים‎, “of old age, satisfied and satisfied in years.” ‎Contrary to most people, who are described in Kohelet ‎Rabbah, 5,9 as leaving behind many unfulfilled aspirations ‎when they die, Avraham died fully fulfilled. In Baba Batra ‎‎117, as well as in Sanhedrin 91 the meaning of the word ‎מורשה‎ is discussed, there being different opinions of how the ‎distribution of the ancestral plots in the Land of Israel was ‎determined by lottery; if the lottery only applied to the tribal ‎allocations, or to families. The discussion also concerns whether ‎only Jews who partook in the Exodus or their offspring were ‎allocated land, or whether the allocation included Jews who had ‎lived before that period, including Avram, Yitzchok, etc. Avram’s ‎question of ‎במה אדע כי אירשנה‎, meant: “how will I know that I ‎personally will be included in the distribution of the land at that ‎time? He knew that he would not inherit a plot of land in Israel as ‎part of his father Terach’s merit, as he had been the first convert ‎to Judaism, something that was confirmed in Sukkah 49. ‎Since he did not endure slavery in Egypt as did the generation of ‎the Exodus, he was not sure that he would qualify at the time of ‎the distribution.
Avram’s question had been triggered by G’d ‎saying to him:, ‎לתת לך את הארץ הזאת לרשתה‎, “to give to you this ‎land in order to inherit it.” (15,7) Avram wanted to know if he ‎would live long enough to take part in the distribution of the ‎land in Joshua’s time, or how he was to understand the words: ‎לתת לך‎, “to give to you.” The Talmud in Sukkah 49 quotes ‎psalms 47,10 where we encounter the expression ‎עם אלוקי אברהם‎, ‎‎“the nation that worships the G’d of Avraham”; a sage raised ‎question whether G’d perhaps is not also the G’d of the people of ‎Yitzchok and the G’d of the people of Yaakov.” The answer given ‎is that Avraham was the first convert from which the Jewish ‎people developed, so that he enjoys a special status. As a reward, ‎G’d gave the land of Israel especially to him. Avraham wanted to ‎know if, since the land of Israel becomes a ‎מורשה‎, his share would ‎be due to his father bequeathing it to him. The term ‎ירש‎, “to ‎inherit,” always implies that one inherits from a father. If ‎Avram’s question had been ‎במה אדע כי תתן לי‎, “how will I know ‎that You give it to me,” it would have been inappropriate, of ‎course. G’d had spoken about “giving;” Avram asked only about ‎the hereditary aspect, ‎אירשנה‎.
We will deal with the expression ‎במה אדע‎, somewhat later in this paragraph.‎ When G’d introduced His reply to Avram’s question with the ‎words: ‎ידוע תדע כי גר יהיה זרעך‎, “you must truly realize that your ‎descendants will be strangers, etc.,” this can best be understood ‎when referring to a commentary by the Zohar I 87 on the ‎verse: (Genesis 2,4)‎אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם ‏‎. The letter ‎ה‎ in ‎smaller script in the middle of this word alerts the reader not to ‎read the word as a single word, but as ‎באברהם ברא‎, i.e. G’d created ‎the universe on account of, or with the eventual assistance of ‎Avraham.” Had G’d not foreseen that someone like Avram will be ‎born, He would not have considered it worth His while to create ‎the human race. The fact that Avraham, on his own, without ‎prompting, would proclaim the name of the Creator, made it ‎worth G’d’s while to put up with all the sins man would commit. ‎Avraham would be the one to acquaint his peers with the concept ‎that G’d is One, is unique, is in charge of the universe and yet had ‎granted the creatures he made in His image freedom of choice to ‎choose their own path in life. The fact that this Avraham would ‎sire a Yitzchok, and Yitzchok in turn would sire a Yaakov who ‎raised 12 sons who would form the nucleus of the Jewish nation, a ‎nation of priests, made it all worthwhile for G’d. When the Jewish ‎people collectively accepted G’d’s Torah, without critically ‎examining what was written therein first, this was a crowning ‎moment not only for the Jewish people, but it enabled G’d to ‎converse with a mortal human being, Moses, as if he were on His ‎own level, i.e. ‎פנים אל פנים‎, face to face.‎
When G’d introduced His reply to Avram’s question with the ‎words: ‎ידוע תדע כי גר יהיה זרעך‎, “you must truly realize that your ‎descendants will be strangers, etc.,” this can best be understood ‎when referring to a commentary by the Zohar I 87 on the ‎verse: (Genesis 2,4)‎אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם ‏‎. The letter ‎ה‎ in ‎smaller script in the middle of this word alerts the reader not to ‎read the word as a single word, but as ‎באברהם ברא‎, i.e. G’d created ‎the universe on account of, or with the eventual assistance of ‎Avraham.” Had G’d not foreseen that someone like Avram will be ‎born, He would not have considered it worth His while to create ‎the human race. The fact that Avraham, on his own, without ‎prompting, would proclaim the name of the Creator, made it ‎worth G’d’s while to put up with all the sins man would commit. ‎Avraham would be the one to acquaint his peers with the concept ‎that G’d is One, is unique, is in charge of the universe and yet had ‎granted the creatures he made in His image freedom of choice to ‎choose their own path in life. The fact that this Avraham would ‎sire a Yitzchok, and Yitzchok in turn would sire a Yaakov who ‎raised 12 sons who would form the nucleus of the Jewish nation, a ‎nation of priests, made it all worthwhile for G’d. When the Jewish ‎people collectively accepted G’d’s Torah, without critically ‎examining what was written therein first, this was a crowning ‎moment not only for the Jewish people, but it enabled G’d to ‎converse with a mortal human being, Moses, as if he were on His ‎own level, i.e. ‎פנים אל פנים‎, face to face.
Moses reminded the people in Deut. 5,4 how 40 years earlier, ‎when most of them had not yet been alive, G’d had addressed the ‎whole nation on the ‎פנים אל פנים‎ “face to face level,” [until the ‎people asked Moses to be their interpreter instead. Ed.] At that ‎time all creatures on earth were in awe of their Creator. When the ‎people had consecrated the Tabernacle in the desert as a “home” ‎for Hashem in the lower parts of the universe, G’d took delight in ‎the world He had created, as we know from Taanit 26 where ‎the Talmud understands Song of Songs 3,11 ‎ביום חתונתו וביום שמחת ‏לבו‎, “on His wedding day, the day when His heart rejoices,” as ‎referring to G’d’s feelings on the day of the revelation at Mount ‎Sinai, and the day when the Tabernacle was consecrated, ‎respectively. This is the kind of ‎נחת רוח‎, “pleasure, satisfaction,” ‎that man in the lower part of the universe can contribute to G’d ‎in the loftier spheres, in heaven. On both of these occasions the ‎joy was reciprocal, G’d showing that He can associate with ‎earthlings and take pleasure from this. The Israelites’ enthusiastic ‎response after the splitting of the sea and their miraculous and ‎escape from Pharaoh’s pursuing armies, was another occasion ‎when the reciprocal nature of the relationship between G’d and ‎His “chosen” people was demonstrated publicly. Nowadays, ‎almost 4000 years later, we recall these events and praise the Lord ‎every week when we pronounce the blessings over wine. Not a ‎day goes by without our giving thanks to the Lord for the Exodus ‎from Egypt‎.
At the time when Avram lived, the world, i.e. the planet earth ‎and man on it, was still in a state of semi-collapse, its continued ‎existence far from assured, until Yitzchok and Yaakov continued ‎the work that Avram had started when he kept proclaiming the ‎power and goodness of the Creator. This assurance of the earth’s ‎continued existence was only confirmed with the creation of the ‎Jewish people, and this people’s leaving Egypt as G’d’s people, ‎after having slaughtered the Passover, and proven that they ‎considered the Creator as their highest authority.
The Tur, commenting on why we mention the Exodus ‎of Egypt in the weekly Kiddush, as opposed to the ‎‎Kiddush on the festivals whose link to the Exodus is self-‎evident, explains that the Sabbath harbours within it the ‎כח ‏המוליד‎, the power that enables creatures to regenerate themselves ‎by producing offspring. This “power” is conditional on the ‎observance of the Sabbath (in some form). Terach, Avram’s ‎father, while able to produce physical offspring, was unable to ‎produce offspring equipped with the kind of soul that would be ‎active in spreading the message that G’d is the one and only ‎Creator. [I have not been able to find where the Tur writes ‎this, although he writes about man as well as most other living ‎creatures becoming endowed with the ability to procreate bodies ‎in his Torah commentary. (Genesis 2,3)