Musar su Isaia 29:78

The eighth principle is submission in [his] actions - such that one should be accustomed to [giving] a gentle response, as it is stated (Proverbs 15:1), "A gentle response allays wrath." For this is the way of lowliness, as it is stated (Isaiah 29:4), "And you shall speak from lower than the ground, your speech shall be humbler than the sod" - the opposite of that which is stated about a rich man who is proud: "The rich man’s answer is harsh" (Proverbs 18:23). And he should not be occupied with the beauty of clothing and jewelry, as it is stated (Exodus 33:5), "and now take off your finery." And it is stated about Ahab, (I Kings 21:27), "he fasted and lay in sackcloth and walked about subdued." And God, may He be blessed, said about this (I Kings 21:29), "Have you seen how Ahab has submitted?" And the matter of "walked about subdued," is the opposite of the way of kings, who walk with many soldiers and the din of a troop. And he should always lower his eyes, like the matter that is stated, (Job 22:29), "for He saves those who lower their eyes." And signs of submission - like a gentle response, a soft voice and lowered eyes - remind him to have a submissive heart.

Behold it has been explained from the two verses that we mentioned - [as well as] from the words of the Sages, may their memory be blessed - that the soul of the evildoers goes down to the pit. And it has also been stated (Proverbs 15:24), "For an intelligent man the path of life leads upward, in order to avoid the pit below." And it has also been stated (Ecclesiastes 3:21), "Who knows if the spirit of men does rise upward and if a beast’s spirit does sink down into the earth?" The explanation [of this] is who can recognize the righteous ones and the evildoers in this world? For there are are evildoers whose actions are in the dark, and people will not know it about them; and there are righteous ones that fear the Heavens in private, like the matter that is stated (Micah 6:8), "and walk humbly." And he called the soul of an evildoer, the soul of a beast, because it follows its physical desire like a beast. And [this is] like the matter that is stated (Jonah 4:11), "who do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well!" But he called the righteous ones, "the spirit of men" - like the matter that is stated (Ezekiel 34:31), "you are men." And the explanation of the wording of the verse is like this: Who knows the spirit of men - which are the righteous ones - which goes above; for there are many righteous people that a person cannot determine in this world that they are truly righteous, and that their souls will arise above, like the matter that is stated (I Samuel 16:7), "man sees only what is visible, but the Lord sees into the heart." And also since there are many righteous ones whose fear of the Heavens is secret, and their righteousness is not known, and like the matter that is stated, (Micah 6:8), "and walk humbly with your God." "And the beast's spirit, etc." is that there also many evildoers that a man would not recognize from their actions, like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 29:15), "who do their work in dark places and say, 'Who sees us, who takes note of us?'" And they, may their memory be blessed, likewise explained in Midrash Kohelet (Kohelet Rabbah 3:21) that the "spirit of men" is the righteous ones, "and the beast's spirit" is the evildoers. But a person cannot say that he is in doubt whether the soul of a man rise up; for behold it is written (Ecclesiastes 12:7), "and the spirit returns to God who bestowed it." And also how can he doubt whether the spirit of a beast descends below? Is the spirit of a beast not from the earth? So how could it rise? And it is explained in the Torah that the soul of man is supernal. As it is written about the spirit of an animal that it is from the ground, as it is stated (Genesis 1:24), "Let the earth bring forth living spirits according to their specie." But about the spirit of man, it is written (Genesis 2:7), "and He blew into his nostrils a living soul." Therefore the soul of man rises above with the death of the body; since all things return to their source, like the matter that is stated (Ecclesiastes 12:7), "And the dust returns to the ground as it was, and the spirit returns to God who bestowed it." And it is stated about the soul of the righteous one (Zechariah 3:7), "and I will permit you to move about among these ones standing." Its explanation is among the angels that are standing and enduring - as it is stated (Psalms 148:6), "And He made them stand forever." And it is [also] stated (Daniel 7:16), "approached one of the standing." And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 152b), "The souls of the righteous are hidden under the Throne of Glory, as it is stated (I Samuel 25:29), "the life of my lord will be bound up in the bundle of life." And all men of heart will consider this world like a temporary dwelling; so they will only use it for the service of the Creator, may He be blessed, and prepare provisions for their souls. For if a man lives many years - even if he lived twice a thousand years - since there is a number to his years, the number will end, and his end will be as if they had not been. But the world of repayment has no end, like the matter that is stated (Job 16:22), "For a few more years will pass, and I shall go the way of no return." Even more so, since the days of man are like a passing shadow, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 90:10), "The span of our life is seventy years, etc." And it is [also] stated (Psalms 144:4), "his days are like a passing shadow." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Kohelet Rabbah 1:3), "Not like the shadow of a tree or the shadow of a wall, but rather like the shadow of a flying and passing bird." It means to say a person is obligated to compare in his heart, this world to the shadow of a bird that if flying and passes over in a small instant - especially since a man does not know whether he is here today but in the grave tomorrow. And it would come out in his efforts today for tomorrow, that he has taken pains for a world that is not his. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 100b), "Grieve not about tomorrow’s trouble, because you know not what a day may bring."

6. The sixth way in which true modesty can be recognized is if a man customarily speaks soft words, as it is said: "A soft answer turneth away wrath" (Prov. 15:1), and with a low voice, for this speaks of humility as it is said: "And you shall be humbled and shall speak from the ground and your speech shall be low out of the dust" (Is. 29:4). And he should not occupy himself with the beauty of clothes and ornaments, as it is said: "For He saves the humble-eyed person" (Job 22:29). And he should not occupy himself with the pursuit of pleasure, as it is said: "The righteous eats to satisfy his soul" (Prov. 13:25), and not more. All these are the signs of Modesty.

Never eat or drink anything without making the appropriate blessings before and after with as much zeal as you can. Comprehend the meaning of the blessing. Cover your head when mentioning God’s Name, and close your eyes. When making a blessing or praying to God be not as it says, “With their mouths and lips they honored Me, but their hearts were distant from Me” (Isaiah 29:13).

And we find with the people of Sodom that they were very bad to God on several [plains] of corruption, such as theft, extortion, perversion of justice and forbidden sexual relations. Nevertheless, Scripture mentions that their souls were lost and destroyed by the sin of nullifying charity, as it is stated (Ezekiel 16:49), “Only this was the sin of your sister Sodom; arrogance - plenty of bread, etc.; yet she did not support the poor and the needy.” And it is stated about the people that do not arrange their thoughts to constantly reflect on the fear of God (Isaiah 29:13-14), “And its worship of Me has been a commandment of men, learned by rote. Truly, I shall further baffle that people with bafflement upon bafflement.” And it is stated (Jeremiah 12:1-2), “Why does the way of the wicked prosper, etc. [...] You are present in their mouths, but far from their thoughts.” And it is stated (Psalms 23:27), “Those who keep far from You perish.”

A pious man is so called because he has a sense of shame, for the word 'hassid' or 'pious' means 'white', for the translation of 'stork' (Hassidah) in Aramaic is "hawaeita" meaning "the white one", as you note in Leviticus 11:19, and similarly in Isaiah 29:22: "Neither shall his face now become white" (with shame), and the Aramaic translation of "herpah" (shame) is hisda (same as Hassid), as you will note in Genesis 34:14. And all of this for what reason? That the Hassid or pious person must bear shame in order to fulfill the Torah, and he must remove shame from his face at performing any precept. Then he is called a Hassid or "pious one", and thus he attains to prophecy as it is written: "Then didst Thou speak in vision to Thy pious ones" (Ps. 89:20). And through his sense of shame he will attain to true reverence of God, as it is written: "In order that His awe be upon your faces and you do not sin" (Exod. 20:20). What kind of awe or fear of God can be seen in a person's face? You must surely say, "A sense of shame" (which causes the face to change color) (Nedarim 20a).

And let one not wonder that we actually see people who after the saying of "Remember," and, sometimes, even at the time of its saying, speak lashon hara. Where, then, is the assurance of the Torah? But, in truth, is it not written of words of Torah (Devarim 32:47): "For it is not an empty thing from you" — If it is empty, it is from you [i.e., because of you] that it is empty. And there has been fulfilled in us, in our many sins, the words of Isaiah the prophet, may peace be upon him (Isaiah 29:13): "Because this people has drawn near. With its mouth and its lips it has honored Me, but its heart is far from Me." For we say "Remember" only with our mouths, but we do not remember at the time of doing. And if a man brought it up to his heart to fulfill the remembrance as the Blessed L-rd has commanded us, it would certainly be of great avail in rescuing us from this sin.

All this is contained in the report of the Creation. The קליפה preceded light since the Torah speaks of Tohu vavohu and darkness as extant before G–d commanded "let there be light." Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 2,4 understand the four words והארץ תהו ובהו חשך in that verse as alluding to the four periods of exile Israel would have to endure before the coming of the Messiah. The words יהי אור are the reference to that period in our history which will unfold at the end of the periods of exile. The true "good," unmixed with evil, is represented by Jacob; he represents the very essence, "kernel" of the tree of life that is described as being in the "center" of the garden. When the Torah says וכל טוב אדוניו בידו, "and all the goodness of his Master in his hand" (Genesis 24,10), this Tuv instead of Tov, refers to absolute good, not something merely relatively good i.e. Tov. The word Tuv means "goodness par excellence." Abraham explained this to Eliezer when he sent him on the mission to get a wife for Isaac and said "the Lord, the G–d of Heaven who has taken me from my father's house and from my birthplace." Rashi says that the words מבית אבי, refer to Charan, whereas the words מארץ מולדתי, refer to Ur Kasdim. Our sages in Sanhedrin 19, commenting on Isaiah 29,22:"Jacob who redeemed Abraham," say that G–d only saved Abraham from Nimrod's furnace on account of Jacob's merit. This whole statement will be explained in detail in פרשת תולדות. Thus it becomes clear that the whole purpose of Isaac's marriage was to enable Jacob to be born from that union. This is why Abraham hinted to Eliezer "you must on no account bring my son there" (24,6). The implication is that "my grandson" may return there. He will have to go back there to retrieve his "lost" part, i.e. Rachel, Leah, Zilpah and Bilhah. This is why Jacob שמר את הצאן, "tended the flock," and our sages understand this term as similar to the Talmudic צאן ברזל, inalienable property. The letters in the word ברזל, correspond to the respective first letters in the names of Jacob's wives רחל-לאה-בלהה-זלפה.

The answer is found in the fact that it was Jacob who redeemed Abraham as we have learned from Jeremiah 31,11. Abraham was saved from Nimrod's furnace only in order for Jacob to be born in the future. This does not mean that Jacob's merits were greater than those of Abraham. On the contrary; Abraham, the founder of Judaism, possessed comprehensive merits. He had such great merit that he should not have been denied the ultimate merit of being a martyr for his faith. Had G–d allowed such martyrdom, however, Jacob would never have seen the light of this world. The fact that Jacob's מטתו שלימה, that he raised all his children to remain loyal to his teachings, represented the mystical dimension of completing the בנין in the Celestial Regions, as we have described this elsewhere.

לא תגנובו, "Do not steal," alludes to Adam who was a thief. נטע רבעי, the legislation of sanctifying the fruit of a tree in its fourth year, alludes to Noach who was drunk on a Wednesday. When a stranger (convert to Judaism) takes up residence among you, etc.," is an allusion to the first convert, Abraham. The prohibition of offering one's children as a sacrifice to the Moloch (20,2) is not part of the general prohibition to worship idols, but concerns itself specifically with the worship of fire. There are two kinds of fire. There is the fire described by the prophet Ovadiah 1,18 in the words: והיה בית יעקב אש, "The house of Jacob will turn into fire." This is a sacred fire, because the Lord your G–d is also called "fire." Also the fire in the Temple (Deut. 4,24) was sacred fire. However, there is another kind of fire, the fire of Esau, the fire of purgatory, a destructive fire emanating from the קליפה. When discussing the Moloch, the Torah adds (20,3) למען טמא את מקדשי ולחלל את שם קדשי, "and he so defiled My Temple and profaned My holy Name." How does the Temple feature in this paragraph? What does a fire-offering to the Moloch have to do with the Temple? The Torah wishes to point out that though fire-offerings to the Moloch are an abomination, there are fire- offerings such as the ones brought by Jacob which reflect the highest level of sanctity. When the Torah writes: והתקדשתם והייתם קדושים, it is an instruction to sanctify את קדוש יעקב, the G–d considered as the personification of holiness by Jacob. This is merely another way of saying: קודש ישראל לה', or that His name is called ישראל, the concept known as ישראל סבא, the first manifestation of G–d when He commenced creating the universe as a יש מאין by means of the first נקודה, as we explained above.

When we are told in Bereshit Rabbah 63,2 that it was Jacob who saved Abraham from the furnace of Nimrod, based on the verse in Isaiah 29,22: יעקב אשר פדה את אברהם, "Jacob who liberated Abraham," this does not mean that Jacob's merits were greater that those of Abraham. This could not be, since Abraham's spiritual power was certainly greater than that of any other patriarch and we commence our daily עמידה prayers invoking first and foremost the merits of Abraham, and we sign the benediction with the words "G–d the shield of Abraham."