Article No. 7, 1985<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is written in The Zohar<\/em>, in the portion, Hayei Sarah<\/em> [The Life of Sarah] (item 17), \u201cAnother interpretation: \u2018A king is a woman who fears the Lord, as you say, \u2018A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised,\u2019 meaning the Shechina<\/em> [Divinity]. \u2018\u2026to a cultivated field\u2019 is foreign fire, meaning the Sitra Achra<\/em>, as you say, \u2018to protect you from a foreign woman,\u2019 for there is a field and there is a field. There is a field that all the blessings and sanctities are in it, as you say, \u2018as the scent of a field which the Lord has blessed,\u2019 meaning the Shechina<\/em>. There is a field that every ruin, impurity, destruction, killing, and war is in it, meaning the Sitra Achra<\/em>,\u201d thus far its words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to our way, the meaning is that we have two ways\u2014either to follow the path of those who come to the Creator, whose way is the path of bestowal, or a path that leads to people, which is reception, since the creatures are called \u201ccreatures\u201d only with respect to reception and self-love, which comes to us from the core of creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a Tzimtzum<\/em> [restriction] and concealment on that aspect, for in this place it is not evident that the whole earth is full of His glory, as it is possible to attain that the whole earth is full of His glory only when one exits the place of reception. But prior to exiting reception, one can only believe that this is so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be able to feel this, we are given the advice to exit the place of reception, which the place of darkness and death. That is, the light of life cannot appear although it is present, but it is covered from man, and one who comes to that place becomes separated from the source of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hence, that place is called \u201cdarkness and death,\u201d and every kind of calamity is present there. This is called the Sitra<\/em> Achra<\/em> [other side], meaning it is the opposite of Kedusha<\/em> [holiness\/sanctity]. A place of Kedusha<\/em>, called a \u201cplace of bestowal,\u201d is a place of equivalence of form. This is why in that place appear all the delight and pleasure, as it is a place of blessing and holiness. This is called \u201ca woman who fears the Lord.\u201d Our work is only to come to fear the Lord, called \u201cassuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By this we will understand what our sages said about the verse, \u201cas black as a raven\u201d (Iruvin<\/em>, 22): \u201cIn whom do you find them? Raba said, \u2018In one who pretends to be as cruel as a raven to his sons and to his household.\u2019 And some say, \u2018In whom you exclude the orders of Torah.\u2019\u201d RASHI interprets that a raven is cruel to its young, as it is written, \u201cto the young ravens which cry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The word Orev<\/em> [raven] comes from the word Arev<\/em> [pleasant], as it is written, \u201cfor your voice is Arev<\/em> [pleasant].\u201d It is the opposite of the dove, as our sages said about the verse, \u201cThe dove came to him \u2026 and behold, in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf\u201d (Iruvin<\/em> 18). \u201cRabbi Yirmiah Ben Elazar said, \u2018Why is it is written, \u2018and behold, in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf\u2019?\u2019 The dove said to the Creator, \u2018Lord of the world, let my food be as bitter as an olive but be given by You, and let them not be as sweet as honey but be given by flesh and blood.\u2019\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is known that when a person works in order to receive, when his direction is only self-love, that work is called \u201csweet work.\u201d This is why the dove said, \u201clet my food be as bitter as an olive but be given by the Creator.\u201d This refers to his sustenance, on which one sustains oneself, the sustenance on which one lives. If his work is intended for the Creator, even though it is bitter because the body does not agree with his nourishment, it will be dependent on the measure of his ability to aim to bestow, since it is against the nature in which the body was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The body was born with a desire to receive. It craves only that which can sustain self-love. This is regarded as provision that comes from \u201cflesh and blood.\u201d The body enjoys this provision and finds it sweet. It is regarded as Orev<\/em> [raven] because only provision of flesh and blood is Arev<\/em> [pleasant] to it. But it runs from provision that is given from above\u2014meaning from being able to work for the Creator\u2014since it feels bitterness in acts of bestowal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It therefore follows that the raven is called \u201cwork of self-love.\u201d Since there was a restriction on the will to receive, which is concealment and the upper light does not appear there, the work of the raven is black. This is the meaning of \u201cas black as a raven.\u201d That is, where is the Torah found? In whom can the light of Torah shine? Only in one who has come to realize that a raven, meaning work in reception, causes only blackness, that he can receive only darkness and not light. Our sages said about this that the Torah is found only \u201cin one who pretends to be as cruel as a raven to his sons and to his household.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is known that father and son are cause and consequence. Therefore, we should interpret the above words to mean that one who has realized that by serving flesh and blood, which is work in self-love, though it is sweet work, it is a raven. However, by this he knows the outcome, meaning what will come out of such work\u2014only darkness, called \u201cblackness.\u201d At that time he knows that he has become cruel to his sons, meaning he has no mercy on the results that will come out of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It follows that if he knows he has become cruel by walking on the degree of raven, he changes his way and begins to walk on the path of the dove, agreeing to work for the Creator even though these nourishments are as bitter as olives. But the results, meaning the sons, will enjoy his work, since because it is in order to bestow, abundance will flow into that place. This is the opposite from the raven, who becomes cruel to his sons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can interpret that this is why Israel are compared to a dove. This is the assembly of Israel, which is regarded as Yashar-El<\/em> [straight to the Creator]. This means that everything that the people of Israel do is with the intention Yashar-El<\/em>. Conversely, the nations of the world are regarded as a foreign God, not wanting to dedicate their work to the Creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By this we can interpret the verse, \u201cHe gives to the beast its bread, and to the young ravens which cry.\u201d We should understand the reason for the proximity of \u201cbeast\u201d to \u201craven.\u201d It is as our sages said about the verse, \u201cMan and beast\u201d (Hulin<\/em>, 5): \u201cRav Yehuda said, \u2018Rav said, \u2018these people are cunning and pretend to be as a beast.\u2019\u2019\u201d Baal HaSulam interpreted that it is faith above reason, whose basis is vessels of bestowal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The young of the raven\u2014when one looks and sees one\u2019s results, meaning what will come out of self-love\u2014begin to call out to the Creator to give them vessels of bestowal and faith above reason, once they have realized what results self-love, called \u201craven,\u201d will bring them. We can say that this is called \u201cThe Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baal HaSulam interpreted what is written in the songs of Shabbat, \u201cExtend Your mercy to one who knows You, O jealous and vengeful God.\u201d This means that since one has acknowledged that if he does not walk on the path of bestowal he will immediately suffer revenge, he is guaranteed to keep himself from failing and entering the road that leads to self-love, since he knows he will lose his life, meaning that he will fall into a place of darkness and the shadow of death. At that time he says, \u201cExtend Your mercy to those who know You,\u201d who is a \u201cjealous and vengeful God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why they ask of the Creator to give them the mercy, for they know that otherwise they are doomed. Only through the mercy that the Creator will give them they will receive vessels of bestowal. This is regarded as a \u201cdove.\u201d But the raven, meaning the sweetness that they demand as a condition in their work, which is called \u201craven,\u201d makes them cruel, meaning killing all their sons. That is, by measuring his work according to the sweetness that he feels in his work, when his only consideration is how his will to receive guides him, he loses all his future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the meaning of \u201cHe gives to the beast its bread.\u201d When does he give them bread, which is called \u201cfaith\u201d? When the young of the raven cry. That is, they understand that the results, called \u201csons,\u201d which are born to the raven, are destined to die, for it is separation from the life of lives. Then, when they call upon the Creator to help them, they call upon the Creator in truth. This is the meaning of what is written, \u201cThe Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Article No. 7, 1985 It is written in The Zohar, in the portion, Hayei Sarah [The Life of Sarah] (item 17), \u201cAnother interpretation: […]<\/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-9421","book","type-book","status-publish","hentry","topic-rabash"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n