Article No. 18, 1985<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is written in The Zohar<\/em> (Bo<\/em>, item 1): \u201cRabbi Yehuda started and said, \u2018Happy are the people who know the cheer.\u2019 See how people must follow the path of the Creator and keep the Mitzvot<\/em> [commandments] of the Torah so that through it they will be rewarded with the next world and be saved from all the slanderers above and below. This is so because as there are slanderers in the world below, there are slanderers above who stand ready to slander people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should understand what are the slanderers below. This is understandable with regard to the above, that if we want to give something to a person, slanderers come and complain about that person saying he should not be given what he is about to be given. But below? This begs the question, \u201cBefore whom are they complaining about the person?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should interpret that the slanderers come to the person himself. If a person wants to go by the path that ascends toward bestowal upon the Creator, slanderers come and tell him: \u201cThe way of bestowal is not for you; this way is suitable only for a chosen few, with special qualities and talents, brave hearts, strong, and who are able to overcome. But not you, for you don\u2019t have the qualities of those above the common folk. Therefore, it is better for you to dwell among your own people, meaning follow the path of the general public and not aspire to be exceptional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In that regard, Rabbi Yehuda comes and tells us the verse, \u201cHappy are the people who know the cheer.\u201d RASHI interpreted that they know how to appease their maker. How do they appease Him? By Him pouring abundance upon them. Rabbi Yehuda interprets about that that they must go by the path of the Creator and observe the Mitzvot<\/em> [commandments] of the Torah.\u201d We should understand what are the \u201cways of the Creator.\u201d The verse comes and tells us about that, \u201cFor My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are My ways your ways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is, only above reason can one walk by the path of the Creator. But within reason, the body itself is his slanderer and accuser, making him understand that the path of bestowing upon the Creator is not for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By this you will understand the verse (Exodus<\/em>, 23): \u201cYou shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and distorts the words of the righteous.\u201d We therefore see that when one comes to scrutinize the order of his work and sees the conditions required of him, he decides that he cannot take upon himself this path, which is the work of bestowal, for two reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) He is not one hundred percent certain about the reward for the work, since he does not see anyone who has received the reward for which he labored. That is, when he comes to criticize people who he sees that they did toil and tolerated the conditions of the work, he sees that they really did make great efforts. However, he does not find that they have already received the reward for their work. If he asks himself why they did not receive reward, he comes up with a great excuse: One who keeps all the conditions of the work certainly receives reward. However, they made great efforts, but not the one hundred percent required of them. This is why they are in a state where they believe He is ejecting them (from the work, for they believe that they are right and the work of bestowal is not for them).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) At that time a second question comes up: \u201cWho knows if he will be more capable then they are, and he will be able to give the full one hundred percent required to be brought to Dvekut<\/em> [adhesion] with the Creator?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After those two reasons he decides that he is one hundred percent right in not wanting to take upon himself this path, which is built on faith above reason and on the basis of bestowal. He is so certain that he is right that he is sure that no one can criticize his unwillingness to take this path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Accordingly, there is a question: \u201cThose people who did commence on this path, who have taken upon themselves to walk on the path of bestowal, how did they overcome those questions?\u201d Certainly, when one is told, \u201cGo work, but not in order to receive reward,\u201d immediately asks all these questions, since these questions give one no rest. Thus, by which force could they emerge from the state of questions, which are called \u201cevil waters\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only way is to go above reason and say, \u201cWhat I see\u2014that I am right and I must take the path that everyone takes\u2014is not the truth, as I see it. Only one whose eyes are open can see the truth, but one whose eyes are not open cannot see the truth. When a person asks these questions he is biased toward his will to receive, since he is considering only the benefit he can derive for himself. Therefore, he can no longer see the truth. The verse comes and tells us about that: \u201cYou shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, it cannot be said that he is right according to his view because he is bribed by the will to receive, so he no longer has open eyes to see the truth. Instead, he should say, \u201cAlthough I heard all your correct questions, now I am unable to answer you. But once I have been rewarded with the desire to bestow I will have open eyes. Then, if you come to me with all your questions, I will certainly give you the right answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut now I have no choice but to go above reason because all the reason that I see comes from the side of biasness. And although I think that all my calculations are correct, it should be said about them what the verse tells us, \u2018distorts the words of the righteous,\u2019 that I am unable to see who is right, meaning say that everything that must be done in order to bestow was not said about me, and \u2018I dwell among my own people,\u2019 like everyone else who settles for keeping Torah and Mitzvot<\/em> saying, \u2018I do what I must do.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cConcerning intentions, this pertains to one who feels he needs it. I, for one, do not feel that I need to be smarter than everyone and I am content with less.\u201d It was said about this, \u201cdistorts the words of the righteous,\u201d but I go above reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the meaning of the great importance of \u201ccleanness,\u201d which is presented in all the books, that one must be clean before every Mitzva<\/em> [commandment] one is about to do. And regarding cleanness, Baal HaSulam said that one should be careful that everything will be on the side of truth, and that no falsehood will be involved there. He also said that as there is a difference between people concerning keeping clean\u2014there are people who make sure there is no dirt on their clothes, and there are people who are not so meticulous and the dirt is plainly visible, so they remove it. That is, it depends on the measure of loathing that one has for the dirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is likewise in spirituality: No person is like another, and it depends on the extent to which one loathes falsehood. To the extent that he cannot tolerate falsehood, he comes closer to the path of truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also said that we must know that this dirt in matters of the soul is the true harm-doer. Since the soul is eternal, one should be very careful with falsehood and keep one\u2019s truth clean from any manner of falsehood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By this we will understand what our sages said (Shabbat<\/em> 114), \u201cRabbi Hiya Bar Aba said, \u2018Rabbi Yohanan said, \u2018Every wise disciple who is found with a blemish on his clothes must die, as it was said, \u2018All who hate Me, love death.\u2019 Do not call it \u2018hate Me,\u2019 but \u2018cause to hate Me.\u2019 RASHI interprets that \u2018cause to hate Me\u2019 means that they make themselves loathsome in the eyes of people, and the people say, \u2018Woe unto the disciples of Torah for they are loathsome and dishonorable.\u2019 It turns out that they make the Torah loathsome.\u2019\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Superficially, this is difficult to understand. If he has a blemish on his clothes, does he deserve to die? He brings evidence from the verse, \u201cAll who hate Me, love death.\u201d Here, too, we should understand: If he hates Me, is this a sign that he loves death?<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to what we explained above, that cleanness pertains to the need to be clean, so there will be no mixture of falsehood there when he wants to walk on the path of truth. Truth is called Lishma<\/em> [for Her sake], as Maimonides says (Hilchot Teshuva<\/em>, Chapter 10), \u201cOne who works out of love, engages in Torah and Mitzvot<\/em>, and follows the paths of wisdom not because of anything in the world, or because of fear of harm, and not in order to inherit goodness. Rather, he does the truth because it is the truth, and the good will finally come because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, it means that concerning finding a blemish in his clothes\u2014which are regarded as clothes within which one receives goodness and life\u2014they must be cleansed from any mixture of self-love, and be only for the Creator. According to this we will interpret \u201cAll who hate Me love death.\u201d We asked, \u201cWhy does the verse say, \u2018All who hate Me,\u2019 meaning the reason he hates Me is that he loves death?<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the above, this is simple: The meaning of death is clarified, since precisely one who is adhered to the life of lives has life. But one who is separated from Him is separated from life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why it was said, \u201cAll who hate Me,\u201d meaning who do not love the Creator, to work only for the Creator, but mix there a little bit of self-love, and self-love is death because it causes separation from the life of lives. For this reason, one who loves death, meaning self-love, becomes hateful of the Creator because of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RASHI interprets \u201ccause to hate Me\u201d to mean that they make themselves loathsome in the eyes of people. People say, \u201cWoe unto the disciples of Torah, for they are loathsome and dishonorable.\u201d It follows that they cause to hate the Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is difficult to understand. If there is a stain on his clothes, is he already loathsome in the eyes of people? And also, does the Torah cause people to hate the Torah so much that for this he deserves a punishment of death, as our sages said, \u201cEvery wise disciple who is found with a blemish on his clothes must die\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the work, we should interpret that \u201cmaking themselves loathsome in the eyes of people\u201d means one\u2019s own organs, desires, and thoughts. Man\u2019s body is called \u201ca world in and of itself.\u201d The organs of the body say, \u201cWoe unto them who study Torah, for they are loathsome.\u201d But it is written, \u201cFor they are our lives and the length of our days,\u201d and they are \u201cMore desirable than gold, then much fine gold, and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb,\u201d but we don\u2019t see this with our disciples of Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason why we do not see all those precious things in disciples of Torah is that there is a blemish on their clothes, meaning that there is self-love mingled in our disciples of Torah during the work. It follows that this blemish causes the good and the life in the Torah not to be able to clothe in these clothes, since they are not clean where everything is for the Creator. At that time the \u201cpeople in our body\u201d fall into despair. It follows they are causing them to hate the Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is, where the disciples of Torah should have revealed the preciousness of Torah, as it is written, \u201cFor it is your wisdom and understanding before the eyes of the nations,\u201d here they see the opposite. And who caused all this? It is all because they were not careful with cleanness, which is called a \u201cblemish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By this we will understand why he must die if there is a blemish on his clothes. It tells us that that blemish that he makes in his clothes separates him from the life of lives. This is why this is considered that he is compelling himself to come to a state of death. And it is all because he was not careful with cleanness, but falsehood, called Lo Lishma<\/em> [not for Her sake] was mixed into his work. Rather, everything must be for the Creator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Article No. 18, 1985 It is written in The Zohar (Bo, item 1): \u201cRabbi Yehuda started and said, \u2018Happy are the people […]<\/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-9454","book","type-book","status-publish","hentry","topic-rabash"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n