Haazinu [Listen]
9) Israel are happier than all the idol-worshipping nations because all the other nations were given to appointed ministers to rule over them, but holy Israel are happy in this world and in the next world, for the Creator neither gave them to an angel nor to another ruler. Rather, He held them in His own portion, as it is written, “For the portion of the Lord is His people.”
24) Happy are Israel, for the Creator leads them. It is written about them, “For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His Segula [virtue/remedy/merit].” It is also written, “For the Lord will not abandon His people.” “The Lord will not abandon His people” for His great name because they clung to one another, for Israel clung to His great name. This is why the Creator will not leave them, for wherever they are, the Creator is with them.
25-27) Rabbi Shimon arose, sat, laughed, and was merry. He said, “Where are the friends?” Rabbi Elazar arose and let them in. They sat before him. Rabbi Shimon raised his hands and prayed a prayer and was merry. He said, “Those friends who were at Idra Raba [Aramaic: “Great Circle” or “Great Assembly,” see appendix], let them come in here. Everyone left, and Rabbi Elazar, his son, Rabbi Aba, Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yosi, and Rabbi Hiya remained. In the meantime, Rabbi Isaac came in. Rabbi Shimon said to him, “How good is your portion, what gladness should be added to you on this day.” Rabbi Aba sat behind his shoulders and Rabbi Elazar before him.
Rabbi Shimon said, “It is a good time now and I would like to come to the next world without shame. Thus, I wish to disclose before Divinity sacred things that I have not disclosed thus far, lest it is said that I departed from the world deficient. Thus far, they have been hidden in my heart to enter with them into the next world.
“This is how I am arranging you: Rabbi Aba will write, Rabbi Elazar will learn orally, and the rest of the friends will speak in their hearts.”
29-31) Rabbi Shimon said, “How odd is this hour, from Idra Raba [Aramaic: “Great Circle” or “Great Assembly,” see appendix] in the portion Nasso [take], since in the Idra, the Creator and His Merkavot [chariots/assemblies] came, and now, the Creator is here, for he came with the righteous in the Garden of Eden, which did not happen in the Idra. The Creator desires the glory of the righteous more than His own glory, and now the Creator desires our glory, for all the righteous in the Garden of Eden have come with Him.”
Rabbi Shimon said, “But Rabbi Hamnuna Saba is here with 70 righteous around him engraved in crowns, each illuminating from the radiance of the brightness of Holy Atik, the most hidden of all that are hidden, and he comes with joy to hear those words that I am saying.” While he was seated, he said, “But Rabbi Pinhas son of Yair is here, set up his place.” The friends who were there shook up, arose, and sat at the corner of the house, and Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba remained before Rabbi Shimon. Rabbi Shimon said, “We were in the Idra Raba when all the friends would speak and I was with them. Now only I am speaking and everyone will listen to my words, upper and lower. Happy am I on this day.”
He said, “I am for my beloved and on me is His passion. All the days that I was tied to this world, I was tied in a single tie to the Creator. For this reason, now, ‘On me is His passion,’” for He and His entire camp have come with joy to hear hidden words and the praise of Holy Atik, the most hidden of all that are hidden, the secluded and separated from all, which is not separated because everything cleaves to him and he cleaves to everything; he is everything.”
91) Rabbi Shimon said, “I have not disclosed everything, and all those words were hidden in my heart thus far, and I wanted to conceal them for the next world because in the next world we are asked a question with wisdom, for wisdom is what they want from us.” This is why he concealed the words for the next world. But now I see that the Creator’s wish is to disclose them so I may enter His palaces without shame.
95-97) All the words in the Idra Raba [Aramaic: “Great Circle” or “Great Assembly,” see appendix] are good, and all are holy words, words that do not stray to the right or to the left. They are all hidden words that are revealed to those who entered the wisdom and came out of it in wholeness. All the secrets are like that—revealed only to those who came in and came out. Until now, these words that I have disclosed here were covered because I feared revealing them, but now they have been revealed. The holy Atik is revealed before me, for it is not for my own glory nor for the glory of my father’s house that I had done it. I did it so I would not enter His palace in shame, for I saw that the Creator and all those true righteous that are here all permitted me to disclose them, for I saw that they were all glad with this joy of mine. All are summoned in that world to my joy, happy am I.
Now I testify about me that all the days that I was standing in the world, I craved to see that day when I would have permission to disclose the secrets, but it did not come to me until now, for in this crown of disclosure of secrets is this day crowned. And now I wish to disclose matters before the Creator, for all the secrets I am revealing are crowned in my head, and that day will not go far from coming to its place in that world as another day. It is so because I have the whole of this day in my possession, and not more, and now I am beginning to disclose the matters so that I may not enter the next world with shame. Here am I beginning to speak.
98-102) “Justice and law are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before You.”
Whoever is wise will look at it to see the ways of the high and holy one, that they are true Dinim [judgments], Dinim that are crowned by the upper Sefirot. I see that all the lights illuminate from the upper illumination that is more hidden than all that are hidden, Atik, all the degrees in which to illuminate, and each with a unique illumination. In the light within each degree, a unique revelation is revealed, and all the lights grip that light to this light, and this light to that light, illuminating in one another and never parting from one another.
The light within each illumination, which are called “the king’s corrections,” the king’s Sefirot, each light illuminates and grips to that light that is deep within, the light of Ein Sof, which does not spread out, and in which there is no perception whatsoever. For this reason, everything rises by one degree and everything is crowned by one thing, and one does not part from the other, He and His name are one. He is the light that appears, called “the king’s garment.” The light that is deep within all the lights is a hidden light, and in it is that one which does not spread out and does not appear, Ein Sof.
All the illuminations and all the lights illuminate from the holy Atik, the most hidden of all that are hidden, the upper illumination. When looking, it is not present in all the lights that expand from Atik, but only the upper hidden illumination, and it is not revealed.
There are two illuminations in those garments of glory, garments of truth, corrections of truth, and illuminations of truth, the correction of the king’s throne, Bina. They are called “justice and law.” ZA is law, Malchut is justice. They are the beginning and the wholeness of all the faith. Justice is initially, and the disclosure of the wholeness in justice is called “law.” All the Dinim above and below are crowned in them, and everything is hidden in law, in ZA, and in justice, in Malchut, nourished by the law, ZA. Sometimes Malchut is called as it is written, “Melchizedek king of Shalem [whole].”
When Dinim awaken from the law, they are all Rachamim; they are all in wholeness, since the law perfumes the justice, Dinim, the Dinim are mitigated, and all come down to the world in wholeness, in Rachamim. That is the time when male and female unite and all the worlds are in mercy and joy.
110) All my life I have been looking at the verse that reads, “My soul shall be glorified in the Lord; the humble shall hear and be merry,” and now the verse has come true. “My soul shall be glorified in the Lord,” for my soul is gripped to Him. In Him she blazes, to Him she cleaves and exerts, and in that exertion she will rise to her place. “The humble shall hear and be glad.” All those righteous and all those at the great seminary, and the righteous who now came with Divinity are hearing my words and are glad. For this reason, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”
201) When he entered the cave they heard a voice inside the cave. That man was quaking the land, irritating from Malchut, several slanderers in the firmament are quieted on this day for you. This is Rabbi Shimon, whose Master praises every day. Happy is he above and below. Several high treasures are kept for him. It was said about him, “And you, go to the end and rest and rise again for your fate at the end of the right.”
209) “For I will call on the name of the Lord.”
The end of the verse ties the knot of faith to what is written, “He,” as it is written, “For He is righteous and just.” That is, He is everything; He is one, without separation. If you say that all those names in the texts are many, he repeated and said that it is written, “He,” that all rise and connect and unite in the One. He is everything; He was, He is, and He will be; He is one. Blessed be His name forever and for all eternity. This is why the words connect, and the holy words of the name of the Creator unite.
210) Happy is he who calls on the king and knows how to call on Him properly. If he calls and does not know whom he is calling, the Creator moves away from him, as it is written, “The Lord is near to all who call Him.” To whom is He close? He repeats, “To all who call Him in truth.” But is there anyone who would call Him falsely? It is one who calls and does not know whom he is calling.
How do we know? Because it is written, “To all who call Him in truth.” What is “In truth”? In the seal of the king’s ring, the middle line, the seal of the Mochin with the Malchut, who is called “the king’s ring, for she is the wholeness of everything. One who does not know how to call Him in the measure of the middle line, but leans to the left line or to the right line, the Creator moves away from him. Happy is he who enters in wisdom and comes out in wholeness, to know the ways of the Creator.
229) Rabbi Isaac said, “When we sit before Rabbi Shimon, everything is said before him openly and we do not need to cover the matters with names and appellations. Rabbi Shimon is not like the rest of the people, or everyone compared to him are as the rest of the prophets compared to Moses.”
232) As the Creator does not forget His name, the Creator does not forget Israel, for they are gripped to His very name.