Salmi 50:16 Cabala: Or Neerav

“Woe to him. It were better for him had he never been created,” since he has caused harm on high, “and had never taught,” for through his “study” of the written and oral Torah he takes Tiferet and Malkhut and removes from them the mystery of yod and heh. Thus in his very Torah study he causes loss and division, so that the study becomes a sin. It is doubtless concerning him that [the verse] states, And to the wicked God says (Ps. 50:16), for it is considered as if he [had returned the world to formlessness and void]. In truth there exists formlessness and void [on the side of] good and formlessness and void of the kelipah.³⁸Kelipah is the Kabbalistic term for the forces of evil, which are organized in a “counter-sefirotic” system of their own. “Formlessness” (tohu) signifies [the sefirah] Ḥokhmah, which is a place of astonishment (toheh). “Void” (bohu) is that which clothes the formlessness. It signifies [the sefirah] Binah.³⁹Binah is the “mother” of the seven “lower” sefirot. By means of these [two sefirot] the formlessness and void of the kelipah are nullified. Thus everyone who removes these two [sefirotic] qualities and causes the “outer ones” to prevail can surely [be considered] as if [he had caused] the world to return to formlessness and void. He removes the world which is the dwelling place of the formlessness and void⁴⁰I.e., Ḥokhmah and Binah. of the Holy One, blessed be He, and causes the “outer ones”⁴¹I.e., the kelipah. to rule. Thus the world is clothed in the kelipah, which constitutes the primordial formlessness and void. This is why [Scripture] states, And the earth was formless and void, for there was no emanation from the supernal formlessness and void, as I have explained.

Moreover there is a confusion in his statements [so that they appear] out of order. Thus we might say that he had intended [to deal] with the beginning of the verse, For the commandment is a lamp. Our sages, their memory be a blessing, explained, “Sin extinguishes a commandment, but the Torah is a light, for it is so great that no sin can extinguish Torah” (Sotah 21b). Thus, according to this [passage], how can one who possesses Torah in sin make expiation? [Through] the way to life—he will merit eternal life. But how is the sin to be requited? [Through] the rebuke that disciplines, [meaning] through suffering. This is the explanation of the verse. However, there is a difficulty with this [interpretation]. [According to it,] if a man should sin and continually commit iniquity and [even] possess in his hands a majority of sins, he would [still] merit [eternal] life. This is very farfetched! On the contrary, it was written concerning this But to the wicked God says, “Who are you to recite My laws?” (Ps. 50:16).