Article 21, 1988<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is written in the Midrash (VaYikra<\/em>, Chapter 6): \u201cOur sages say, \u2018The nations of the world did not receive the Torah, since it was given out of the darkness. He says about them, \u2018for the darkness will cover the Earth\u2019 (Isaiah 60:2). But Israel received the Torah, since it was given out of the darkness, as it is written (Deuteronomy 5), \u2018As you hear the voice out of the darkness.\u2019 He says about them (Isaiah 60): \u2018The Lord will shine upon you and His glory will be seen upon you.\u2019\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should understand why the Torah was given out of the darkness, and why the nations of the world did not want to receive it out of the darkness. It is as though the Creator deliberately gave the Torah out of the darkness so the nations of the world would not receive it. And we should also understand why Israel did receive the Torah out of the darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, we need to know what is darkness in the work. The thing is that because the purpose of creation was \u201cto do good to His creations,\u201d when a person is satisfied with his life, it is considered that the world shines for that person, meaning he enjoys the world. But if he does not find satisfaction in life, he says, \u201cThe world has grown dark on me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is known that in the work, we call the vessels of bestowal \u201cIsrael,\u201d and we call the vessels of reception, \u201cthe nations of the world.\u201d Hence, when a person wants to draw near to the Creator, meaning use the vessels of bestowal, but he cannot because the body disagrees with it, since his body extends from vessels of reception, at that time a person feels that the world has grown dark on him, for he understands that if he cannot obtain vessels of bestowal, he will never be rewarded with the upper light, which is the light of \u201cdoing good to His creations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It follows that the darkness he feels from not being able to obtain vessels of bestowal by himself gives him the need that someone will help him obtain those Kelim<\/em> [vessels]. According to the rule, \u201cThere is no light without a Kli<\/em> [vessel], no filling without a lack,\u201d it follows that now he has received a need for the light of Torah. It is as our sages said, \u201cI have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, the Torah is given specifically to the deficient, and that deficiency is called \u201cdarkness.\u201d This is the meaning of the words, \u201cThe Torah was given out of the darkness.\u201d That is, one who feels darkness in his life because he has no vessels of bestowal is fit to receive the Torah, so that through the Torah, the light in it will reform him and he will obtain the vessels of bestowal. Through them, he will be fit to receive the delight and pleasure, for those two are included in the Torah: 1) The Kli<\/em>\u2014that he wants to bestow. 2) Then he receives the delight and pleasure into the vessels of bestowal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversely, the nations of the world did not receive the Torah, since it was given out of the darkness. In the work, \u201cthe nations of the world\u201d means that the body comprises seventy nations that want the Torah not because they feel darkness when they have no vessels of bestowal. Rather, their only desire is the vessels of reception and they have no desire to emerge from that control. They want the Torah in order to add more light to themselves, meaning more pleasure than they receive from corporeal matters. That is, they also want the next world, as it is written in The Zohar<\/em>, \u201cThey howl as dogs Hav, Hav<\/em> [give, give], give us the wealth of this world, and give us the wealth of the next world.\u201d That is, the wealth of this world is not enough for them, but they also want the wealth of the next world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It follows that the Torah was given specifically to those who feel that their will to receive controls them. They cry out from the darkness that they need the Torah in order to deliver them from the darkness that is the control of the vessels of reception, on which there was a Tzimtzum<\/em> [restriction] and concealment so that no light will shine in that place. But that place is the cause for the need to receive the Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this reason, since the Torah came because of the darkness, the Torah did two things: 1) \u201cThe light in it reforms him.\u201d Then, the Tzimtzum<\/em> and concealment depart from his vessels of reception because where he had vessels of reception, he has now been rewarded with vessels of bestowal. This is the meaning of the words, \u201cAnd the Lord will shine upon you.\u201d That is, as the Creator wants to bestow, so man will be rewarded with a desire to bestow. 2) After he has been rewarded with vessels of bestowal, meaning he was granted the ability to work Lishma<\/em> [for Her sake], which is called \u201clearning Torah Lishma<\/em>,\u201d then he is shown the secrets of the Torah, as Rabbi Meir says (in the Mishnah, Avot<\/em>). This is the meaning of the words, \u201cAnd His glory will be seen upon you,\u201d meaning the glory of the Creator, which is the revelation of Godliness. It \u201cwill be seen upon you,\u201d for then one is rewarded with \u201cThe Torah, and Israel, and the Creator are one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the nations of the world, which do not need the Torah in order to emerge from the darkness, which are vessels of reception, but rather need the Torah in order to add the wealth of the next world to the wealth of this world, as was said, \u201cGive, give,\u201d these people, who are in a state of \u201cnations of the world,\u201d say that they do not need the Torah in order to deliver them from the darkness, since for them, they regard the vessels of reception for themselves as \u201clight.\u201d Rather, they want the light of Torah to come into the receiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The verse says about them, \u201cfor the darkness will cover the Earth.\u201d That is, they will not be rewarded with the light of Torah because \u201cthe light of Torah was given out of the darkness.\u201d In other words, one who feels that he is in the dark is regarded as \u201cIsrael,\u201d who need the Torah in order to illuminate their darkness. They are rewarded with \u201cThe Lord will shine upon you,\u201d and \u201cHis glory will be seen upon you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now we can understand what our sages said (Avot<\/em>, Chapter 1:17), \u201cIt is not the learning that matters, but the work.\u201d Also, in Kidushin<\/em> (p 40), they said, \u201cThey were asked this question: \u2018Much learning or much work?\u2019 Rabbi Tarfon replied, \u2018Much work.\u2019 Rabbi Akiva replied, \u2018Much learning.\u2019 They all replied and said, \u2018Much learning, since the learning leads to work.\u2019\u201d We should understand their words in the work, since the literal provides many interpretations to this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the work, meaning when we want to come to work in order to bestow and not receive for ourselves, of course we must observe the 613 Mitzvot<\/em> [commandments\/good deeds] in actual fact. One who learns Torah but does not want to observe the 613 Mitzvot<\/em> de<\/em> facto<\/em>, is learning knowledge, the way one learns external teachings. It is as our sages said (Eicha Rabbah<\/em> 2:17), \u201cShould one tell you, \u2018There is knowledge in the nations,\u2019 believe. \u2018There is Torah in the nations,\u2019 do not believe.\u201d This means that a person can learn Torah, but if he is a gentile, who does not observe the Mitzvot<\/em>, which makes him a gentile, then the Torah he is learning is called \u201cknowledge\u201d and not \u201cTorah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this reason, one who wants to work in order to bestow must begin to work in action, and then begin with the intention, meaning to place on it the aim to bestow. However, how can we achieve the aim to bestow, since it is known that a person can work under coercion, though \u201chis heart is not with him.\u201d That is, a person might be compelled to work against his will. He can overcome his desire and do something against his will. Yet, changing the heart, meaning the desire and yearning, this a person cannot do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, since man was created with a nature of receiving only for himself, how can he aim to bestow? as this is against his nature! How can one work against his nature and desire, which is only to receive? Can he force himself to aim his heart with the intention to bestow?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, we must know that the Torah was given in order to cleanse Israel. That is, all the actions He has given us to do are only in order to obtain this aim to bestow. Thus, how can we do the above, since there cannot be coercion of the heart and the desire?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baal HaSulam interpreted \u201cwhich God has created to do.\u201d \u201cWhich God created\u201d means that it is about this that man must \u201cdo,\u201d on what He has created. We should interpret \u201cWhich God has created\u201d to mean that creation is called \u201cexistence from absence,\u201d referring to the will to receive. \u201cTo do\u201d pertains to the creatures, who must place on it the aim to bestow. This means that all that the creatures must do is only to be able to aim to bestow. This is called \u201cWhich God has created to do.\u201d This doing belongs to the creatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Accordingly, we should interpret that the above words, \u201cMuch learning or work,\u201d do not concern work that the lower ones must do, for clearly, without work there is nothing, since first we must observe the 613 Mitzvot<\/em> in action. Rather, we should interpret about the Torah itself that the Torah is called Talmud<\/em> [learning]. Thus, the question, \u201cMuch learning or much work?\u201d means that the Torah speaks from two angles: 1) From the perspective of the rules, meaning in which way we should observe the Mitzvot<\/em>. There is the issue of the measure of the Mitzvot<\/em>. Take Tzitzit<\/em> [undergarment with four fringed corners], for example. We must learn the rules of the Halacha<\/em> [Jewish law] concerning the required size of the Talit<\/em> [prayer shawl] and the Tzitzit<\/em>, and likewise regarding the rest of the Mitzvot<\/em>. This is called the \u201crevealed\u201d part of the Torah, since these Mitzvot<\/em> are visible and you cannot say that a person makes mistakes there, since that which is visible, if a person pays attention, he can observe these Mitzvot<\/em> properly. This is why it is called \u201crevealed.\u201d 2) The part of the Torah that does not speak of rules and laws that we keep in actions, but which speak of tales and legends of our sages and have no connection to the 613 Mitzvot<\/em>. The question is, What part of the Torah is greater, meaning more important to a person, and to which he should pay more attention?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLearning\u201d refers to the part of the Torah that is only learning, without work, since we are not speaking of the practical part, how to observe. This is called \u201clearning,\u201d meaning Torah without work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Tarfon says that work is greater. That is, the part of the Torah that speaks of performing the Mitzvot<\/em>, which is the main thing to know\u2014the rules that apply to the Mitzvot<\/em>. Rabbi Akiva said that learning is great, and everyone answered and said as did Rabbi Akiva, \u201cMuch learning.\u201d What is the reason? For learning leads to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should interpret what they said, that \u201cLearning leads to work.\u201d It means that while it is true that the beginning of the work is in the revealed part of the Torah, which speaks of the observance of the Mitzvot<\/em>, this is only the beginning, since the Torah and Mitzvot<\/em> were given primarily in order to cleanse people. This means, as it is written (in the essay, \u201cPreface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah\u201d), that \u201ccleansing\u201d means emerging from the control of the will to receive for oneself and working only in order to bestow. This is called \u201cwhich God has created to do.\u201d This work, which is done on creation, called \u201creceiving for oneself\u201d\u2014to place the aim to bestow on it, this work is the main thing that the lower ones should do in order to be able to receive the delight and pleasure that the Creator wants to give them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to achieve a state of \u201cwork,\u201d which means that a person should work only for the sake of the Creator and not for his own sake, a person can still overcome the revealed part in the 613 Mitzvot<\/em> by forcing himself to observe the 613 Mitzvot<\/em>. However, on the concealed part, which is the aim, is something that is given to the heart, and here a person cannot force himself. That is, if the heart does not want to work and love others, man is helpless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In that state, when a person wants to work for the sake of the Creator and the body disagrees, a person realizes that he cannot work for the sake of the Creator by himself. It follows that now the person has learned something new, which he did not know before he began the work of bestowal: He is a complete wicked, since he does not want to work for the sake of the Creator. Before he began the work of bestowal, he also knew that he was still not working for the sake of the Creator, but at that time he thought that he is not doing everything for the sake of the Creator only because of negligence and idleness, but he would succeed in doing everything for the sake of the Creator the moment he would choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this reason, he was not concerned that he is not doing so now. He could say it was for lack of time, but he is certain that it is within his power to do everything for the sake of the Creator. There is a rule that everything that a person can do does not concern him because he can always do this. He attributes not having it only to the view of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But now that he has begun the work of bestowal and has made great efforts, yet sees that he is not progressing, and worse yet, after all the labor he has fallen into despair, now he sees that the evil in him is so great that he decides that the work of bestowal was not meant for him. This recognition is called \u201cwicked.\u201d That is, now he knows beyond any doubt that his body is unyielding and cannot be changed into working for the sake of the Creator. He can convince it to do only revealed things, in action, and to do good deeds. Yet, his heart is not with him. Therefore, only now can he determine that he has an evil inclination that is truly evil against the Creator, that he does not want to work for the Creator, but only for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a person comes to that state, when he sees that he has evil inclination, he must believe what our sages said, \u201cI have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice,\u201d since \u201cthe light in it reforms him.\u201d That is, his being enslaved to the evil inclination, when he was compelled to work for his own sake and not for the sake of the Creator, now, through the light of the Torah, he is reformed and can work for the sake of the Creator. This is called \u201cgood deeds,\u201d meaning only to bestow upon the Creator and not for his own sake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Accordingly, we see that it is impossible to bestow without the light of the Torah. It follows that the part of the Torah that a person learns, which does not speak of rules and laws, this is called \u201cwork,\u201d as it is written, \u201cmuch work,\u201d meaning the part of the Torah that discusses the doing of the Mitzvot<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And this is the meaning of \u201cmuch learning,\u201d meaning the part of the Torah that speaks of tales and legends and interpretations of our sages, etc., the part of the Torah that does not pertain to the doing of the Mitzvot<\/em>. This is called \u201clearning.\u201d They all said immediately, \u201cMuch learning,\u201d \u201csince learning leads to work.\u201d Here the meaning of \u201cwork\u201d refers to the intention on the work, which is regarded as the revealed. He will be able to aim the heart to work for the sake of the Creator, and this is called \u201cwork,\u201d as it is written, \u201cwhich God has created to do.\u201d Doing refers to the heart, so that man will have the strength to work, so the heart will want to work for the sake of the Creator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Article 21, 1988 It is written in the Midrash (VaYikra, Chapter 6): \u201cOur sages say, \u2018The nations of the world […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":6243,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"topic":[26],"class_list":["post-10712","book","type-book","status-publish","hentry","topic-rabash"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n