June 6, 1962, Antwerp<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because I am moving about, the letters do not reach me by order. Only last week I received the first letters from Israel. I already wrote four letters to Jerusalem, to those who wrote me, and they are\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And regarding the words that you want to elaborate on, I am repeating the entire excerpt: Our sages said, \u201cRabbah bar Rav Huna said, \u2018Any person in whom there is Torah but no fear of heaven is like a treasurer who was given the inner keys but was not given the outer keys; how will he enter?\u2019\u201d RASHI interpreted that fear of heaven is like the outer doors through which to enter the inner ones. Thus, if he is fearing heaven, he becomes anxious to keep and to do. If not, he does not fear for his Torah. \u201cRabbi Yanai declares, \u2018\u201cWoe unto he who has no house but built a gate for the house\u2019\u201d (Shabbat<\/em>, 31).<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is known that the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations. In order to be able to receive the good that has been prepared for us, we need qualification, which is equivalence of form. This means that our intention should be only to bestow and not receive for ourselves. After we are rewarded with the light clothed in the inner Torah (when we attain the hidden light clothed in the inner Torah, it is called \u201cthe Torah and Israel and the Creator are one\u201d). Our sages said about this, \u201cThere is no good but the Torah,\u201d of which it was said, \u201cWho are nicer than gold,\u201d etc., meaning that the sweet tasting light of life is clothed in the inner Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is known that \u201cA man is born the foal of a wild ass,\u201d for \u201cthe inclination of a man\u2019s heart is evil from his youth,\u201d and as our sages said, \u201cI wish they had left Me and kept My Torah [law], since the light in it reforms him\u201d (Jerusalem (Talmud), Hagiga<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have already interpreted this article for it is difficult to understand the connection between leaving the Creator and keeping the Torah. How can there be Torah without the Creator, of which it was said, \u201cleft Me\u201d? The answer is written next to it: \u201cbecause the light in it reforms him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that when a person wants to bring himself closer to the Creator, the Creator tells him that as long as he is immersed in evil lusts, the Creator cannot bring him closer, for then a person is still in the quality of falsehood, and the verse, \u201cHe who speaks falsehood will not be established before My eyes.\u201d When a person is proud, the Creator says, \u201cHe and I cannot dwell in the same abode,\u201d and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather, by keeping the Torah, whose light reforms him, he will come out from the evil qualities, called \u201creception,\u201d and will be able to engage in bestowal, which is the meaning of reforming him, as it is written, \u201cMy heart overflows with a good thing; I say, \u2018My work is for the King\u2019\u201d (Psalms 45).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, everything he does is only in order to bestow upon the king, and only afterwards does the Creator bring him closer. That person is rewarded with permanent faith (as it is written in the Sulam<\/em> [Ladder commentary], in the \u201cIntroduction of the Book of Zohar\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, for a person to obtain fear of heaven and the ability to do good deeds, he has no other choice\u2014as explained in the words of the Jerusalem [Talmud]\u2014but to \u201ckeep My Torah [law].\u201d That is, through the Torah, whose light reforms him. Then, when he has been reformed, meaning when he has obtained fear of heaven through the Torah, he will be rewarded with the inner Torah, meaning the light of Torah that is clothed in the outer Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is as our sages said, \u201cIn the light that was created on the first day, Adam saw from the end of the world to its end. The Creator looked at the works of the generation of the flood and the generation of Babylon, and saw that their works were flawed. He stood and concealed it. Where did He conceal it? In the Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By that we can interpret the words of Rabbah bar Rav Huna, who likens the fear of heaven to the outer keys, and the Torah to inner ones. He is referring to a person who wishes to be rewarded with the internality of the Torah, where all the life and good, and pleasure is found. Before he tries to acquire fear of heaven, he lacks the proper qualification to be fit for reception of the hidden light, as it is written, \u201cAnd will deny the wicked their light\u201d (see the beginning of Mesilat Yesharim<\/em> [Path of the Upright]). But before a person has corrected his bad deeds and has acquired fear of heaven he is unfit to receive the good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It turns out that fear of heaven is called \u201cexternality,\u201d meaning that through fear of heaven he will be able to receive the inner Torah. This is why in his view, one who wishes to receive the internality of the Torah before he has fear of heaven, it is as though he has the inner keys but was not given the outer keys; how will he enter? Since he does not have fear of heaven, he is unfit to receive the delight and pleasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what Rabbi Yanai was excited about and declared, \u201cWoe unto he who has no house but built a gate for the house.\u201d That is, the words of Rabbah bar Rav Huna mean that one who wishes to be awarded the internality of the Torah must first acquire fear of heaven, which is external to the internality of the Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It follows that the main thing that one needs to acquire is fear of heaven, for then the fear of heaven will be like a room where you can place objects and fine-looking furniture and precious artifacts. But if he has no room in which to put things, he cannot be given anything. For Rabbi Yanai, the fear of heaven will be the house where he puts the internality of the Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, he saw that the main thing on which one needs to exert in the world is fear of heaven, that this is the receptacle for the upper pleasures, and saw that people are learning Torah their whole lives but their intention is not to acquire fear of heaven through it, since the study of Torah should be as the abovementioned Jerusalem way, in the words, \u201cI wish they left Me and kept My Torah, for the light in it reforms him,\u201d meaning that through the Torah they will be awarded being good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is, through the light in the Torah\u2014even if he is still learning Lo<\/em> Lishma<\/em>(not for Her sake), since he was still not rewarded with fear of heaven, so how can he study Lishma<\/em> before he has been rewarded with faith, which is fear of heaven? But through the light in the Torah that is Lo<\/em> Lishma<\/em>\u2014he is later rewarded with the fear of heaven. This is considered that it \u201creforms him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It follows that the Torah Lo<\/em> Lishma<\/em> is the gate through which to enter fear of heaven, called \u201chouse\u201d (a receptacle for the good in the internality of the Torah). This is why he adds to the words of Rabbah bar Rav Huna and says, \u201cWoe unto one who has no house,\u201d meaning who still has no fear of heaven, \u201cbut built a gate for the house,\u201d since normally, one who contemplates building a house can build a door for the house that he will have. But if he is not contemplating building a house, why would he make for himself a door?<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why Rav Yanai declares, \u201cWhen a person is concerned with fear of heaven, which is a house, it is worthwhile for him to learn Torah, since the Torah will bring him the light, and through the light he will be rewarded with fear of heaven, called a \u201chouse,\u201d in which to place the internality of the Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if he is not concerned with being rewarded with fear of heaven because he has no need for fear of heaven, why should he trouble himself with spending his life in Torah, for it is only a door to enter the house called \u201cfear of heaven\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If he does not intend to acquire fear of heaven, it turns out that he is troubling himself for nothing, pointlessly, since the whole point of Torah that in Lo<\/em>Lishma<\/em> is that it is only a door through which to enter fear of heaven. Then, when one has fear of heaven, it can be said that he is learning Torah Lishma<\/em>. But when he has no fear of heaven, when he has no faith, the question is for whom he is learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But when a person wants to acquire fear of heaven and the evil within him does not give him the strength to be able to believe in the Creator, our sages advise us that from Lo<\/em> Lishma<\/em> he will come to Lishma<\/em>. That is, he will be rewarded with fear of heaven and faith in the Creator, and he will know for whom he is learning. This is called a \u201chouse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One who learns Torah Lishma<\/em>, meaning that he has fear of heaven, is awarded many things. As Rabbi Meir said (Avot<\/em>), he becomes as a flowing fountain and the secrets of Torah are revealed to him, for the secrets of Torah are the delight and pleasure, and it is the purpose of creation that he will receive delight and pleasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It follows from all the above that a door is called Torah Lo<\/em> Lishma<\/em>, which means he still hasn\u2019t fear of heaven. A house is called \u201cfear of heaven,\u201d since once he has received the light of Torah, which is in Lo<\/em> Lishma<\/em>, he is rewarded with Lishma<\/em>, meaning with faith in the Creator, and then he will do everything for the Creator. Subsequently, he is rewarded with the inner Torah, which is the delight and pleasure, called \u201csecrets of Torah,\u201d as it is written in the Mishnah, Avot<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think that I have clarified this thoroughly, and if you have any comments on this, write me and I will know what to correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I began the letter but only today (May 31) I finished it. This week I received your letter from the 23rd<\/sup> of May; I am grateful for the details you wrote me, do continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag<\/p>\n\n\n\n Son of Baal HaSulam<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" June 6, 1962, Antwerp To\u2026 Because I am moving about, the letters do not reach me by order. 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