Article No. 24, 1990<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is written in The Zohar<\/em> (VaYikra<\/em>, Item 70), \u201c\u2018If his offering is a burnt offering.\u2019 Rabbi Hiya started, \u2018For My thoughts are not your thoughts.\u2019 The thought of the Creator is superior and the beginning of everything. From that thought, ways and paths extend to devise the holy name. And from that thought emanate the written Torah and the oral Torah, which is Malchut<\/em>. Man\u2019s thought is the beginning of everything. Ways and paths extend from that thought to divert one\u2019s ways in this world and in the next world, and from that thought emerges the filth of the evil inclination to harm oneself and all others. Also, transgressions, sins, and evil doing come from that thought, as well as idolatry, incest, and bloodshed. It is written about that, \u2018For My thoughts are not your thoughts.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Item 73, it says, \u201cEverything that comes to be a burnt offering is male and not female, since the burnt offering rises [\u201crises\u201d is spelled the same as \u201coffering\u201d in Hebrew] over the heart, meaning on the thought, which is above the heart, since the thought, which is Hochma<\/em> [wisdom], is regarded as male and the heart as female, meaning Bina<\/em> [understanding], as in \u2018the heart understands.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should understand what is \u201cthe thought of the Creator\u201d in the work, and what is \u201cthe thought of man\u201d in the work, of which the writing says, according to what is written in The Zohar<\/em>, \u201cfor My thoughts are not your thoughts.\u201d We should also understand what it implies to us when he says, \u201ca burnt offering is male,\u201d since it atones for the thought, which is male. What does this imply to us in the work, so we will know how to behave?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is known that although the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, for the creatures to receive delight and pleasure, in order to bring to light the perfection of His deeds, a correction was done, called \u201cTzimtzum<\/em> [restriction] and concealment,\u201d on the delight and pleasure. Since all creations were created with a desire to receive delight and pleasure, it follows that man cannot do anything unless he knows he can receive delight and pleasure from that thing. Otherwise, he cannot make a single move, since it will contradict the root of the creatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, when a person does act, although he derives no pleasure from these actions, it is because he knows that by this he will receive delight and pleasure later, which he will be given in return for his work, meaning for the actions he took and in which he took no pleasure. Only because of the pleasure he will receive after the work, it gives him strength to do the work from which he does not enjoy at the moment, but will in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, if the reward is not certain, he has no power to work when he does not enjoy it. For example, a mother feeds her children. Although it is work to buy the groceries and prepare them for eating, and she also feeds them, we should discern two actions here: 1) actions she would give up, 2) actions she does not intend to give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buying groceries and preparing them for eating, she would give up. We see that among the rich, there are people who buy the groceries and there is a cook. This shows that the mother can do without them. But the mother looking at the children eating, although while looking at the children eat, the mother does not eat, in that state she gives up on herself but she enjoys seeing the children eat. It will never occur to the mother to think, \u201cWhat do I get out of watching the little children eat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She does not want \u201cthe next world\u201d for this, or \u201cthis world,\u201d since she derives pleasure from this act, so she needs no reward. Hence, if the taste in Torah and Mitzvot<\/em> [commandments\/good deeds] were revealed, as our sages said, that the 613 Mitzvot<\/em> are called \u201c613 Pekudin<\/em> [Aramaic: deposits],\u201d as is explained in the Sulam<\/em> [Ladder commentary on The Zohar<\/em>], in each Mitzva<\/em> [singular of Mitzvot<\/em>] there is a special light that shines in it, if this were revealed and they would not have to believe it, the whole world would engage only in Torah and Mitzvot<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, since a concealment was placed on the delight and pleasure, and it is not revealed before a person is rewarded with vessels of bestowal, there are disturbances from the body, which cry out, \u201cWhy do you want to go against the nature with which the Creator created man, to receive delight and pleasure? You want to give this up?\u201d Although a person promises the body that it will be rewarded, in that it observes the commandments of the Torah, meaning it will be rewarded, the body seemingly asks, \u201cIn what Kelim<\/em> [vessels] will I receive reward, in vessels of reception or in vessels of bestowal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At that time, if the person says to it, \u201cYou will receive the reward in vessels of reception,\u201d the body asks, \u201cWhy did the Creator give us so many commandments? After all, He is a merciful Father and is good and does good, so why does He not give us all the reward He wants to give for observing all 613 Mitzvot<\/em> in return for observing half of the 613 Mitzvot<\/em>? Why does He mind if He gives the full reward for observing a small part of the Torah and Mitzvot<\/em>? Also, why do we need to work so hard to observe the full 613 Mitzvot<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is similar to the allegory about the mother who feeds her children with food and drink, but she must buy the groceries and cook them and so forth, which she would forego. What she does not forego is that she sees and looks at how her children eat. The little children, she herself feeds and enjoys it. She does not want to relinquish this work, since she enjoys the work itself and does not need any reward for this work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We therefore have two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) It is not so far from the intellect. That is, one who wants to receive reward in vessels of reception but asks why the Creator wants us to observe so many Mitzvot<\/em>, meaning that He should have given all the reward He wants to give for observing half of the 613 Mitzvot<\/em>, since there is no pleasure in the work he is doing, but rather in the reward he will receive afterward, this is regarded as \u201creceiving reward in the next world.\u201d That is, during the work, he feels no pleasure, and the only reason he wants to work is for the reward that will come later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) We can discern in the reward that he wants to receive the reward in vessels of bestowal, meaning to have love of the Creator and to feel that he is serving the King. It follows that he hopes to receive a reward, and he will receive this reward later, in Kelim<\/em> [vessels] that are in this world, meaning in the present. Then, when he is rewarded with 613 Pekudin<\/em>, when he receives each Mitzva<\/em> in the manner of \u201cthis world,\u201d he does not say, \u201cWhy were we given so many Mitzvot<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Likewise, in the corporeal world there is no one who is angry at the Creator for preparing for us so many corporeal pleasures. In the same way, when he is rewarded with 613 Pekudin<\/em>, at that time he feels in each Mitzva<\/em> a different taste and does not intend to relinquish it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is a big flaw here while working in the form of 613 Eitin<\/em> [Aramaic: counsels], meaning when the Torah and Mitzvot<\/em> are only \u201ctips\u201d that concern how to receive the vessels of bestowal, since the body\u2019s resistance is intense because it is completely against his will to receive with which man was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It follows that they (work and reward) are two separate discernments. When the reward is in vessels of reception, he has fuel because he can receive reward. However, he always has exertion since the reward he receives is in \u201cthe next world,\u201d meaning not now but some other time, when he comes, he will receive reward. In other words, he looks at the reward he will receive later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It follows that he would be happier if he received a greater reward for less work, since he is looking at the reward. It turns out that he always has exertion because to him, the reward is the reason that compels him to engage in Torah and Mitzvot<\/em>. This is similar to the corporeal world: When we are paid for the work, the work is only a means. If he could receive the reward for less work, certainly, each one would choose a place that gives more reward for less work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversely, when a person is rewarded with vessels of bestowal, the concealment and Tzimtzum<\/em> that were placed on the Torah and Mitzvot<\/em> are lifted from him and he is rewarded with 613 Pekudin<\/em>. That is, in each Mitzva<\/em> that he performs, he obtains the taste in the Mitzva<\/em>. It follows that the reward is in this world, meaning in the present state that a person is in. Certainly, it cannot be said that a person should relinquish the work, since the work itself is the place to receive the reward. It follows that in \u201cvessels of bestowal,\u201d the 613 Mitzvot<\/em> are considered \u201crest,\u201d and not \u201cwork and labor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the above, we should interpret what The Zohar<\/em> says about the verse, \u201cfor My thoughts are not your thoughts.\u201d We asked, What does this imply to us in the work when it says that ways and paths extend from the thought of the Creator \u201cto devise the holy name,\u201d whereas from the thought of man extend \u201cthe filth of the evil inclination to harm oneself and all others. Also, transgressions, sins, and evil doing come from that thought, as well as idolatry, incest, and bloodshed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The text says about this, \u201cfor My thoughts are not your thoughts.\u201d The \u201cthought of the Creator\u201d refers to the thought of creation, which is to do good to His creations. That is, He wants only to bestow abundance upon the creatures. For this reason, the Torah and Mitzvot<\/em> that He has given us to do, we must say that His intention is not that we will give Him this work and He will accept it. After all, His desire is only to bestow. This is why he says that from the thought of the Creator \u201cways and paths extend to devise the holy name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should understand the meaning of \u201cto devise the holy name.\u201d According to what we learn, the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations. It follows that the \u201choly name\u201d of the Creator is The Good Who Does Good. Because that name is hidden from the creatures as long as they do not have vessels of bestowal, we were given the Torah and Mitzvot<\/em> as Eitin<\/em>, meaning counsels by which to obtain the vessels of bestowal, as our sages said, \u201cThe light in it reforms him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It follows that our work in Torah and Mitzvot<\/em> is not because He needs us to observe His Mitzva<\/em>. Rather, the created beings observe His Mitzvot<\/em>, for by this the created beings correct themselves so they can be rewarded with vessels of bestowal. This is the meaning of what is written, \u201cto devise the holy name,\u201d for by this, each one will feel that the name of the Creator is The Good Who Does Good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But (from) man\u2019s thoughts extend \u201cthe filth of the evil inclination\u201d because man, who is a \u201ccreated being,\u201d existence from absence, thinks only about how to receive and not bestow. Although this is the root of man, concealment and Tzimtzum<\/em> were placed on that will to receive, which is why the evil inclination extends from this thought in man. In other words, when a person must perform acts of bestowal in order to have Dvekut<\/em> [adhesion] with the Creator, called \u201cequivalence of form,\u201d that desire depicts to a person depictions that he will suffer by giving of his strength to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, when a person wants to observe Torah and Mitzvot<\/em> with the aim to bestow and not receive anything that concerns his own benefit, this thought depicts to him how he will suffer. With that power of depiction, it prevents a person from achieving Dvekut<\/em> with the Creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the meaning of the words \u201cFrom that thought emerges the filth of the evil inclination,\u201d as Baal HaSulam said about what our sages said, \u201cThe serpent came over Eve and cast filth within her.\u201d He said that Zuhama<\/em> [filth] is Zu-Ma<\/em> [what is this?], meaning that in every matter of Kedusha<\/em> [holiness], the serpent, which is the evil inclination, comes and says to a person, \u201cWhat is this?\u201d meaning \u201cWhat will you get out of wanting to work and do everything for the sake of the Creator and not for your own sake?\u201d It follows that \u201cfor My thoughts are not your thoughts\u201d means that the thought of the Creator is to bestow, while the thought of man is only to receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now we can understand what we asked, What does it imply to us when The Zohar<\/em> says, \u201ca burnt offering is male,\u201d since it atones for the thought, which is male, since a thought is Hochma<\/em> and is considered male, and the heart, which is Bina<\/em> [understanding], is female, as in \u201cthe heart understands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our sages said, \u201cThe eye sees and the heart covets.\u201d We should understand what the \u201ceye\u201d implies. It is known that eyes are called Hochma<\/em> [wisdom], meaning thought, and the thought is considered male. It is said about it in The Zohar<\/em> that when a person must take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven, this faith that a person believes is called \u201cmind.\u201d That thought impacts the heart, and then the heart begins to covet this thing that came as a thought in his mind. In that sense, the eye is called \u201ca thought.\u201d The wisdom, what he sees and likes, is what he gives to the heart; hence, the heart covets the thing that is in the mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the above, the thought of the Creator is to bestow. We should interpret about this as our sages said (Avot<\/em>, Chapter 2:1), \u201cKnow what is above you; an eye that sees.\u201d We should interpret that man should know what is above him, meaning what is above his thought, that there is the thought of the Creator there, which is called \u201can eye that sees.\u201d It is as The Zohar<\/em> says, that \u201ceye\u201d is called \u201cthought,\u201d and thought is called \u201cwisdom,\u201d which is male.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we learned, the light of Hochma<\/em> comes from the Giver to the receiver. Hence, man must resemble the \u201ceye\u201d of above and be a giver to the Creator. This is called \u201cequivalence of form,\u201d and it is called \u201cfaith in the Creator.\u201d It is called \u201cmind,\u201d meaning a thought that man should be in equivalence of form with the Creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is as it is written in the essay, \u201cA Speech for the Completion of The Zohar\u201d: \u201cSimilarly, all your actions will be to bestow and to benefit others. Thus, you will equalize your form with the form of the qualities of the Creator, and this is spiritual Dvekut<\/em>. There is a discernment of \u2018mind\u2019 and a discernment of \u2018heart\u2019 in the above-mentioned equivalence of form. The engagement in Torah and Mitzvot<\/em> in order to bestow contentment upon one\u2019s Maker is equivalence of form in the mind. This is because the Creator does not think of Himself\u2014whether He exists or whether He watches over His creations, and other such doubts. Similarly, one who wishes to achieve equivalence of form must not think of these things, as well, when it is clear that the Creator does not think of them, since there is no greater disparity of form than that. Hence, anyone who thinks of such matters is certainly separated from Him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It therefore follows that if a person believes in \u201cKnow what is above you; the eye sees,\u201d \u201cknow\u201d means Daat<\/em> [knowledge], and Daat<\/em> means connection and Dvekut<\/em>. \u201cWhat is above you, an eye that sees,\u201d meaning that the eye of the Creator, which is Hochma<\/em> [wisdom], and \u201cknow\u201d refers to Dvekut<\/em>, when a person adheres to \u201cabove you,\u201d which is the \u201cmind,\u201d meaning faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the rule, \u201cThe eye sees and the heart covets,\u201d meaning that the thought, which is \u201cmale,\u201d gives to the heart, which is \u201ccoveting and desire,\u201d then as the thought, which is \u201cfaith,\u201d has equivalence with the Creator, the heart, too, which is the will to receive, does not want to use its own quality, which is reception, but rather to be influenced by the thought and wants to be a giver like the thought. It follows that if a person is complete with equivalence of form in the \u201cmind,\u201d it influences the heart, so the heart, too, will be as in \u201cAll your works will be for the sake of the Creator.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is as we explained about what our sages said, \u201cAnyone in whom there is fear of heaven, his words are heard.\u201d This means that anyone who assumes the burden of the kingdom of heaven, which is faith, the body hears his words, meaning that the whole body obeys his voice for the above reason that if the thought is faith above reason, equivalence of form, then the thought, which is male, influences the heart, which is female, as it is written, \u201cThe heart understands.\u201d This is the meaning of what The Zohar<\/em> says, \u201cBina<\/em> is the heart,\u201d and she is female.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, if it is a burnt offering, it is male. He says that the reason is that a burnt offering comes to atone for the thought, which is male, Hochma<\/em>. That is, if a person sinned, meaning blemished his thought, which is faith above reason, he must correct what he has blemished. Since faith is discerned as \u201cthe eye sees,\u201d which is \u201cwisdom of above,\u201d meaning that the thought of the Creator is His desire to do good to His creations, meaning to bestow upon the lower ones, and that person blemished this, meaning he does not believe that there is a leader to the world, who watches over the creations as The Good Who Does Good, and man must praise and thank the Creator, if a person does not believe that the Creator is the Giver, called \u201cmale,\u201d the person must bring a male offering, which is its corresponding discernment, which he blemished. For this reason, the blemish of the thought is very serious, since this is the whole matter of the purpose of creation. When a person does not believe this, it is regarded that he sinned and blemished the thought, and must make the correction in the same discernment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the above, we should interpret what The Zohar<\/em> says about the words, \u201cIf his offering is a burnt offering,\u201d \u201cfor My thoughts are not your thoughts.\u201d He says, \u201cAlso, the written Torah and the oral Torah, which is Malchut<\/em>, were emanated from that thought.\u201d We should interpret that in the work, Malchut<\/em> means \u201cthe kingdom of heaven,\u201d which is faith, while \u201cOral Torah\u201d is called Torah. In other words, it is impossible to be rewarded with the Torah if one has not been rewarded with faith, as our sages said, \u201cIt is forbidden to teach idol-worshippers the Torah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But once he has been rewarded with faith, he can be rewarded with the Torah. This is the meaning of the words, \u201cfrom that thought,\u201d meaning from the thought of creation, which is to do good to His creations, extend faith and Torah. That is, the fact that we were given faith, where everyone asks why He placed a concealment on His guidance and we need faith for this, the answer is that this, too, is in order to do good to His creations, called \u201cin order to bring to light the perfection of His deeds.\u201d It follows that when we are adhered to His thought, we have everything. This is unlike what man\u2019s thought says, but from that thought emerge transgressions, sins, and evil deeds, as it is written, \u201cfor My thoughts are not your thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, man must exert to focus all his work on being only in Dvekut<\/em> with His thought, and believe that He watches over the world as The Good Who Does Good. When he has this faith, he will be rewarded with everything.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Article No. 24, 1990 It is written in The Zohar (VaYikra, Item 70), \u201c\u2018If his offering is a burnt offering.\u2019 Rabbi Hiya […]<\/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-11022","book","type-book","status-publish","hentry","topic-rabash"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n