Еврейская мысль к Дварим 10:21

There are commandments that are clearly explained in the Torah, and there are commandments whose true interpretation we only know from the mouths of the holy scribes who received them from their fathers and learned teachers. Without the tradition, one would be able to interpret them differently. And there are commandments that we have received from them, yet they are not explicitly mentioned in the Torah. As a general rule, if not for the members of the Great Assembly, the Men of the Mishnah and the Talmud, the Torah of our God would have been forgotten and its memory lost, God forbid. It is they who established everything on its proper basis and clarified for us the commandments with great precision and all the laws as they received them. Some commandments have clear evidence from the Torah, while others require interpretation, and some rely on logical inference. Those who have understanding can discern when to apply interpretation and when to apply a literal understanding, for all their words are not in one mode. And the One who has granted them wisdom will grant them their deserved reward. In the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 17:22), it is written, "Do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day." This is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah. There are many commandments that were received by the fathers and have a mention in the Torah, and there are others that do not have a mention. And I will mention some of these, such as the daily blessings, prayers, grace after meals, and Hallel. Rav says in his life that "He is your praise, and He is your God" (Deuteronomy 10:21). There's the recitation of the Shema, eruv, Kiddush, Havdalah, three meals, and some say the Shabbat candle. Similarly, the blowing of the Shofar on the Day of Remembrance, if not for the tradition, it would seem that it is on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, for it is the main day before the period of truth enters, and therefore it is said to be the Day of Judgment. And similarly, the Lulav, for it is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah, only "And you shall take for yourselves" (Leviticus 23:40), and if not for the tradition, it would have a different interpretation. And similarly, the counting of the Omer, for they distinguished between "And you shall count for yourselves" (Leviticus 23) and "And you shall count for her" (Leviticus 15). And similarly, the prohibition of eating a treifah, which has a respected reason from the wisdom of the heavens' generations. And similarly, the seven days of marriage celebration, mourning, visiting the sick, burying the dead, the Hanukkah candle, reading the Megillah, the four cups [of wine], and I have already explained that "And he shall possess her" (Numbers 27:11) is a general source for all these matters.

Now pay attention, for the unity is the secret of every calculation, and behold, it is not a calculation, for it stands on its own, and it does not require approval from those who come after it. Every calculation is composed of units, and every calculation is made from the two sides of its corners, according to what the one does in one corner of those that exist for it. Therefore, the sages of the Tushia called man "a small world," and this is the secret of Metatron, the Prince of Countenance. This is the secret that our sages mentioned in the five matters. Thus it is written in the measure of "Koma" (the heavenly heights). Rabbi Yishmael said, "Whoever knows his measure in the formation of Genesis, it is guaranteed to him that he is a son of the World to Come, and I and Akiva are guarantors for him." And from this path, the discerning one can know the unity, for everything in it is cleaved only by the aspect of complete goodness. The prophet does not have the strength to comprehend it, and the analogy is like the sun passing over the surface of a closed eye, and one cannot see the face of the sun until it passes. Thus it is written, "I will pass all My goodness before you" (Exodus 33:19), and behold, they cleaved to all His goodness, like the form of a face, and the creatures that cleave to Him are like backs. And this is "And you shall see My back" (Exodus 33:23), and this is the analogy in man, for man speaks and man hears, and the one who learns the wisdom of the soul can understand these matters. For they are not bodies, nor are they like bodies, and because the cause is both distant and near. Therefore, the Hebrews said, "For the portion of the Lord is His people" (Deuteronomy 32:9), "The Lord is my allotted portion and my cup" (Psalms 16:5), "My portion is the Lord, says my soul" (Lamentations 3:24). And it is written, "They are your people and your inheritance" (Deuteronomy 9:29), and it is written, "The Lord Himself is His inheritance" (Deuteronomy 18). And another way is also true, as it is written, "Blessed be the Lord, my rock" (Psalms 18:2), and it is written elsewhere, "The God of my rock, I take refuge in Him" (2 Samuel 22:3), and likewise, "He is your praise" (Deuteronomy 10), "The God of my praise" (Psalms 109:26), and it is written, "My loving-kindness and my fortress" (Psalms 144:2), and it is written, "The God of my loving-kindness" (Psalms 59:11). Therefore, the secret of prayers is to say, "I will exalt You, my God, the King" (Psalms 145:1), "Bless the Lord, His angels" (Psalms 103:20), "Magnify the Lord with me" (Psalms 34:4). And this secret is the foundation of all this gate, for it is the gate to the Lord, and through it, the righteous shall enter.