By Moshe Miller

The Holy Ari

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria was undisputedly the greatest practitioner and expounder of Kabbala since
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar. Rabbi Yitzchak Luria founded a new school in
Kabbalistic thought, known as “the system of the Ari.”

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria ben Shlomo Ashkenazi, whose father was related to the famous Maharshal,
was born in the Old City of Jerusalem in 5294 (1534) in what is now the Old Yishuv Court
Museum, and passed away on the 5th of Av 5332 (1572 CE). He is buried in the Old Cemetery of
Safed, where tens of thousands make the pilgrimage to his graveside every year.

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria is commonly known as the Ari, an acronym standing for Elo-ki Rabbi
Yitzchak, the G-dly Rabbi Isaac. No other master or sage ever had this extra letter aleph, an
abbreviation for Elo-ki [G--dly] prefacing his name. This was a sign of the esteem in which his
contemporaries held him. Later generations, fearful that this appellation might be misunderstood,
substituted Ashkenazi, his family name, for the aleph, indicating that his family had originated in
Germany, as indeed it had. Alternatively, some explain that the aleph stands for Adoneinu, “our
master.” To this day among Kabbalists, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria is only referred to as Rabbeinu
HaAri, HaAri HaKadosh (the holy Ari), the Ari (which also means “lion”), or the Arizal (the Ari,
of blessed memory).

A Special Sandek

The following story is told about the birth of the Arizal:

There was once a very pious scholar living in Israel, named Rabbi Shlomo Luria... One day he
remained in the Study Hall alone, learning, when Elijah the Prophet appeared to him and said, “I
have been sent to you by the Almighty to bring you tidings that your wife shall conceive and bear
a child, and that you must call him Yitzchak (Isaac). He shall begin to deliver Israel from the
kelipot [husks, forces of evil]. Through him numerous souls will receive their tikun
(rectification). He is also destined to reveal many hidden mysteries in the Torah and to expound
on the Zohar. His fame will spread throughout the world. Take care therefore that you not
circumcise him before I come to be the Sandak [who holds the child during the circumcision
ceremony].”

He finished speaking and disappeared. Rabbi Shlomo Luria went home but did not reveal this
secret to anyone, even his to wife. When the Ari was born, the house was filled with light, and on
the eighth day, he was brought to the synagogue to be circumcised. His father searched
everywhere to see if Elijah had come as promised, but he did not see him. Everyone was urging
the father to proceed, but he replied that not all the guests had yet arrived.
An hour went by, but Elijah still did not come. Then he thought bitterly to himself: My sins must
have prevented him from fulfilling his promise. But as he was crying, Elijah appeared and said,
“Do not cry, servant of Hashem. Draw near unto the altar and offer your son as a pure sacrifice
dedicated entirely to Heaven. Sit on my chair and I shall sit upon you.” Whereupon, invisible to
everyone present except Rabbi Shlomo, Elijah sat on his lap, received the child with both hands
and held him during the entire circumcision. Neither the mohel nor those assembled saw anything
but the father holding his baby. After the circumcision, he again promised Rabbi Shlomo that the
child would bring great light to the entire world, and then he disappeared.

When the Ari was still a child, Rabbi Shlomo passed away. In 1541, unable to support the family,
the Ari's mother, with her family, traveled to Egypt, where the family lived with her brother,
Mordechai Frances, a wealthy tax collector. The boy's brilliance continued to shine in pilpul
[Talmudic dialectic] and logic. Rabbi David ben Zimra (Radbaz) taught the Ari both the revealed
and concealed aspects of the Torah. The Ari also studied under Rabbi Betzalel Ashkenazi, the
author of Shittah Mekubetzet.

By the time the Ari was fifteen, his expertise in Talmud had equaled or surpassed that of all the
sages in Egypt. At this age, he married his uncle's daughter, and then spent the next six years in
intensive study with Rabbi Betzalel Ashkenazi. It was around this time that a copy of one volume
of the Zohar came into his hands. He studied the Zohar in seclusion for another six years. He
then isolated himself completely in house near the Nile for another two years. He remained alone,
not speaking to any human being throughout the week. He would return home on the eve of
Shabbat, just before dark. But even at home, he would not utter a word, even to his wife. When it
was absolutely necessary for him to say something, he would say it in the least possible number
of words, and then, he would speak only in the Holy language--Hebrew. The Ari and his wife had
a number of children, including a son named Moshe, who passed away at a young age, and a
daughter, who married the son of Rabbi Yosef Caro. Details are sketchy regarding his other
children.

He continued to progress in this manner until he was worthy of Divine inspiration (Ruach
HaKodesh). On numerous occasions, Elijah the prophet revealed himself and taught the Ari the
mysteries of the Torah. Every night his soul ascended into the heavenly realms. Troops of angels
would greet him to safeguard his way, bringing him to the heavenly academies. These angels
would ask him which academy he chose to visit. Sometimes it would be that of Rabbi Shimon bar
Yochai, and other times he would visit the heavenly academies of Rabbi Akiva or Rabbi Eliezer
the Great. On occasion he would also visit the heavenly academies of the ancient prophets.

In 5330 (1570 CE), after he had attained an extremely exalted rung of holiness in Egypt, Elijah
told him the time had come to move to Safed, a city in the Galilee in the north of Israel. There, he
would meet Rabbi Chaim Vital, the man to whom he was destined to transmit the keys to the
ancient knowledge.

When he first arrived in Safed, the Ari zal joined the circle of students who studied Kabbala
under Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (Ramak). His discipleship was short-lived for the Ramak passed
on soon afterwards.
After the passing of the Ramak, the Ari began teaching Kabbala. The Radbaz, who had also
settled in Safed, warned him not to teach Kabbala in public. However, later the Radbaz recanted,
after receiving a sign from Heaven that he had erred in his ruling. (Some say that Elijah the
prophet himself visited the Radbaz and revealed to him that he had erred). Soon a group of the
leading kabbalists in Safed gathered around him, among them Rabbi Chaim Vital, who became
his chief disciple.

Rabbi Chaim Vital writes in the Introduction to Shaar HaHakdamot:

The Ari overflowed with Torah. He was thoroughly expert in Scripture, Mishnah, Talmud,
Pilpul, Midrash, Agada, Maaseh Bereishit and Maaseh Merkava. He was expert in the language
of trees, the language of birds, and the speech of angels. He could read faces in the manner
outlined in the Zohar (vol. II, p. 74b). He could discern all that any individual had done, and
could see what they would do in the future. He could read people's thoughts, often before the
thought even entered their mind. He knew future events, was aware of everything happening here
on earth, and what was decreed in heaven.

He knew the mysteries of gilgul [reincarnation], who had been born previously, and who was
here for the first time. He could look at a person and tell him how he was connected to higher
spiritual levels, and his original root in Adam. The Ari could read wondrous things [about people]
in the light of a candle or in the flame of a fire. With his eyes he gazed and was able to see the
souls of the righteous, both those who had died recently and those who had lived in ancient times.
Together/from these departed souls, he studied the true mysteries.

From a person's scent, he was able to know all that he had done. (See Zohar, Yenuka vol. III p.
188a). It was as if the answers to all these mysteries lay dormant within him, waiting to be
activated whenever he desired. He did not have to seclude himself to seek them out.

All this we saw with our own eyes. These are not things that we heard from others. They were
wondrous things that had not been seen on earth since the time of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
None of this was attained through magic, heaven forbid. There is a strong prohibition against
these arts. Instead, it came automatically, as a result of his saintliness and asceticism, after many
years of study in both the ancient and the newer Kabbalistic texts. He then increased his piety,
asceticism, purity and holiness until he reached a level where Elijah would constantly reveal
himself to him, speaking to him “mouth to mouth,” teaching him these secrets.

The Ari’s Writings

The Arizal himself wrote relatively little. From his own hand we have novellae on two Talmudic
tractates. These have been included in his teacher's “Shittah Mekubetzet.” His writings in
Kabbala were included in Rabbi Chaim Vital's Etz Chaim and are marked by Rabbi Chaim with
the preface “found written in manuscript.” There is also a commentary on a small section of the
Zohar and a few hymns for the Sabbath from the master himself. The bulk of his teachings were
recorded by his disciples, in numerous works, primarily by Rabbi Chaim Vital. His disciples also
recorded his customs in a work known as “Shulchan Aruch HaAri” published in Venice 5440
(1680 CE).
The teachings of the Ari were afforded the status of a Rishon [primary authority]. Every custom
of the Ari was scrutinized, and many were accepted, even against previous practice. The Magen
Avraham (Rabbi Avraham Gombiner, 5395-5443 / 1635-1683 CE) accepts many of the Ari's
customs as legally binding. In deciding disputes that had remained unresolved for centuries, he
often cites the Ari's custom as the final authority.

Main Students

Included in the main students of the Ari are Rabbi Chaim Vital (Calabrese), Rabbi Yisrael Sarug,
Rabbi Shmuel Ozida (author of Midrash Shmuel), Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen, Rabbi Masud
HaMaaravi, and Rabbi Gedalia. Even among these select few, only Rabbi Chaim Vital was
permitted in his master's lifetime to write down the Ari's teachings.

Introduction

Although Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (the Arizal) wrote relatively little himself, as mentioned in the
"Works" section, his teachings were nevertheless systematically recorded by his disciples,
primarily by Rabbi Chaim Vital. It is from these teachings that the startlingly innovative
teachings of the Arizal have been given to posterity.

Following the era of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his disciples, a long line of distinguished
kabbalists focused their teachings on one or more of the themes already found explicitly or
implicitly in early texts such as Sefer Yetzira , Sefer HaBahir and Zohar and in the works of their
immediate predecessors and contemporaries. They set out to clarify and compare these teachings,
and ultimately to transmit them to a disciple or small group of select disciples. In this sense the
work of the Kabbalists after the Tannaitic era (i.e., until the 4th or 5th century CE) was primarily
classificatory, with very little by way of innovation.

The Arizal, however, was clearly an original thinker. Although he also set out to explain the most
abstruse parts of the kabbalistic literature available at the time, particularly Zohar, his analysis of
those texts and the innovations he subsequently taught his disciples were unparalleled and may
therefore be regarded as an entirely new school of kabbalistic thought.

There are five areas of focus in the Arizal's teachings that may be regarded as the primary
innovations of his system: the concept of tzimtzum (G-d's self-contraction, so to speak) through
its various stages; the process of shevirat hakeilim (the shattering of the vessels in the world of
Tohu); the Tikkun (rectification) of that shevira through birur hanitzotzot (elevating the sparks);
the concept of partzufim (literally, "visages" -- compound structures of the sefirot in arrays that
interact with each other); the nature of the soul, the purpose of its descent into this world, and its
relationship with the higher realms and ultimately with G-d.
First Constriction
A question that puzzled Jewish philosophers and theologians alike is how a finite world came to
exist within the infinite being of G-d. Prior to Creation, there was only G-d and His infinite
revelation of Himself, the Or Ein Sof, filling all existence (Etz Chaim, Heichal A"K, anaf 2). How
did finite being evolve from the infinite? One cannot argue that Creation always existed, nor that
finite being is a mere illusion, since the Torah states explicitly, "In the beginning of G-d's
creating the heavens and the earth". (Gen. 1:1)

Before the Arizal, the prevailing view of how the Creator brought the Creation into being can be
summed up as follows: In order for a finite world to come into existence within the revelation of
the infinity of G-d, a process of self-contraction or self-limitation of the infinite (the Or Ein Sof)
was required. The worlds then came about, according to this view, by a series of emanations that
proceeded in a sequence of cause and effect, in which the Creator gradually reduced the intensity
of the Or Ein Sof and downgraded it from level to level until the worlds were created (see e.g.,
Eilima Rabbati, Eyn Kol Tamar part 2, ch. 3-5, 11-12; part 3, ch. 1.) Accordingly, the Or Ein Sof
was never actually "removed" from any given place - it was merely reduced in intensity. In the
cause-and-effect relationship, the effect is already contained within the cause…

This view, however, is problematic: If G-d would have merely reduced the intensity of His
infinite revelation (the Or Ein Sof) in a quantitative manner, i.e., in a gradual ebb from level to
level by means of cause and effect, a finite world could not have come into being, since in a
causal process "the effect is encompassed by the cause, in relation to which it is essentially non-
existent… so that even numerous contractions would not bring about physical matter…" (Tanya,
Iggeret HaKodesh, ch. 20) by way of an evolution from spirituality. In other words, in the cause-
and-effect relationship, the effect is already contained within the cause, albeit in an unrealized
state.

Thus when the final effect is eventually produced, it is not a newly created entity; it is merely
revealed from its former state of potential or of concealment. Accordingly, the effect always
remains in some way commensurate with the original cause that produced it. Thus the infinite can
never become finite through gradual reduction: "The creation of the worlds is not by way of a
development from cause to effect… for even myriads upon myriads of dwindling and evolution
from level to level [of the Or Ein Sof] in a causal process will not bring about the development
and being of physical matter… Rather, it is the power of Ein Sof who creates ex nihilo, not
progressively, but by way of a radical 'leap'" (Likkutei Torah, Devarim 46c). Thus, tzimtzum as
contraction or self-limitation precludes the existence of finite beings, and cannot explain how
finite Creation came into being.

Moreover, tzimtzum as contraction or self-limitation also seems to contradict the important

principle of "yesh mei'ayin" - that the world was created ex nihilo, 1 and not that it evolved from
some prior state of being.

Accordingly, the Arizal explained that we must understand the tzimtzum in an entirely different
way - in a qualitative sense - as the total self-exclusion of the infinite Or Ein Sof from its state of
revelation, thereby allowing finite worlds to exist:
Prior to Creation, there was only the infinite Or Ein Sof filling all existence. When it arose in G-
d's Will to create worlds and emanate the emanated...He contracted (in Hebrew "tzimtzum")
Himself in the point at the center, in the very center of His light. He restricted that light,
distancing it to the sides surrounding the central point, so that there remained a void, a hollow
empty space, away from the central point... After this tzimtzum... He drew down from the Or Ein
Sof a single straight line [of light] from His light surrounding [the void] from above to below
[into the void], and it chained down descending into that void…. In the space of that void He
emanated, created, formed and made all the worlds. (Etz Chaim, Heichal A"K, anaf 2)

The exact nature of the tzimtzum became the subject of disagreement among later kabbalists.
Some viewed the tzimtzum as a metaphorical act of self-limitation in which the Or Ein Sof was
merely concealed 2, rather than removed, while the essence of G-d remained completely
unchanged. Others maintained that the Or Ein Sof was actually removed, not merely concealed 3.
Another opinion maintained that the tzimtzum was the actual withdrawal of G-d's essence as well
as the removal of the Or Ein Sof 4. A fourth view held that the tzimtzum consisted of a
concealment (but not a withdrawal) of both G-d's essence and the Or Ein Sof 5.

The effect of the tzimtzum (irrespective of which explanation is offered) is nevertheless clear: it
established a radical distinction between Creator and created (from the viewpoint of the created,
although not from the viewpoint of the Creator 6), between cause and effect, so that creation
comes about by way of a "quantum leap" rather than by way of a developmental, evolutionary
order.7

Ari Basics 3: Shattered Vessels

"The shattering of the vessels" (in Hebrew, "Shevirat haKeilim") of the world of Tohu is the key
concept in explaining the basic problem of diverseness and multiplicity in Creation as well as the
origin of evil1 and is a central component in the Arizal's system of Kabbala, where it receives a
full exposition2

The concept of Shevirat haKeilim is linked together with the mystical account of the eight kings
who "reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites" (Gen. 36:31) and the
Midrashic account of the building and destruction of the primordial worlds (Bereishit Rabba 3:7,
9:1), as will be explained below. Although the idea of Shevirat haKeilim is also found in several
sections of Zohar (in Sifra d'Tzni'uta3, Idra Rabba4 and Idra Zuta5), the concept and its
ramifications are very difficult to understand there without the elucidation of the entire subject in
the writings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria. (For this reason, even here, many readers will find the roll-
over glossary feature essential for comprehending this important piece.)

The Arizal explains that when it arose in the Divine Will to create the finite world, the first step
was to "withdraw" or conceal the infinite Or Ein Sof in the process known as "the first
constriction" or "tzimtzum harishon". The first "world" (plane of existence) that came into being
after the tzimtzum is called Adam Kadmon. But even though Adam Kadmon is a post-tzimtzum
world, it is still a "meta-world", so-to-speak - undefined, unified, and transcending time,
comprising a single transcendent primordial thought. Light emitted from the eyes of Adam
Kadmon … signifies a descent from an internal, essential level to an external 'sensory' level…
The existence of the finite world as we know it, and as G-d intended it, is still not possible in
Adam Kadmon due to its extremely lofty state. In order for a finite world to exist, the light in
Adam Kadmon had to go through several more stages of quantitative contraction and descent. In
one of these stages of descent, one of the several types of light emitted from Adam Kadmon is
manifested as ten individual qualities or attributes that act as separate, independent points of
light, or quanta of energy. Technically, this is called "light emitted from the eyes" of Adam
Kadmon or "or ha-einayim". This metaphorical term signifies a descent from an internal,
essential level to an external "sensory" level where the beam of light is refracted into discrete
quanta. Each of these points is an extremely powerful concentration of light (the level of keter of
each of the ensuing sefirot) as it descends from Adam Kadmon. These sefirot compose the world
of Tohu (chaos or disorder).

The first "world" outside of Adam Kadmon is called Akudim. In it is the first development of a
vessel, such that ten degrees of light are bound together (in Hebrew, "akudim") in a single vessel
(Writings of the Ari, Shaar HaHakdamot, Derush 1 b'Olam HaNikudim).

The existence of vessels [for the lights that issued forth from Adam Kadmon] begins only in the
world of Akudim - in which there is but one general vessel for all the ten lights - and below.
Subsequently, the world of Nikudim [another name for Tohu] was emanated, in which ten
vessels were formed for the ten lights. All of them were the aspect of keter of the ten sefirot,
so that there were ten lights of keter of the ten sefirot. Each of these ten keter-lights had an
individual vessel. The remaining nine parts of the lights [i.e., chochma, bina, chesed, etc.] in
each of the sefirot were incorporated within the keter-light of each of the sefirot. For this
reason they are referred to as ten "nekudot", meaning individual "points" of light, rather
than as ten complete sefirot… Now these ten sefirot were emanated in such a way that they
were situated one above the other. (Ibid., Shaar HaHakdamot, Derush 1 b'Olam HaNikudim)
The sefirot of Tohu were situated one above the other in a single line … unlike the array of the
sefirot in the world of Tikun, in which the sefirot are arranged in harmonious triads…

The fact that the sefirot of Tohu were situated one above the other in a single line indicates that
they act as independent entities, unlike the array of the sefirot in the world of Tikun, in which the
sefirot are arranged in harmonious triads. Thus each sefira of Tohu existed as an autonomous
fiefdom, so to speak, independent of, and even in opposition to, the others. Moreover, each sefira
in Tohu is the manifestation of an absolute and quintessential aspect of the light of Adam Kadmon
(the level of keter of each type of light, as explained above).

Furthermore, the vessels themselves were in a state of immaturity and were therefore unable to
contain the intense light flooding them.

"…Only the malchut aspect of the seven sefirot was emanated… and therefore they were
called nekudot, for nekuda and malchut6 are synonymous. 7. In addition, not only were they
[in a state of immaturity], even in this state they were not clothed one within the other, nor
were they bound together as a unit. Nor were they divided into arrays, [namely,] of kindness
in the right array, severity in the left array and the mitigation between them in the middle
array [as in Tikun]." (Etz Chaim, shaar 9, ch. 8)
Due to the intensity and exclusivity of the lights and the inability of their vessels to contain them,
the vessels of the lower sefirot of Tohu shattered and the lights they contained remained above.
The fragments of these vessels then fell to lower levels, becoming absorbed into the various
worlds below the world of Tohu. The three uppermost vessels had the ability to contain the lights
designated for them and did not die…

"Since the lights of these ten nekudot were so intense and powerful… the [vessels] did not
have the power to contain them and the vessels "died", meaning to say, they descended
below to the level that is now called [the world of] Beriya. This descent was their demise. But
this was only as regards the seven lower nekudot, whereas the three uppermost vessels had
the ability to contain the lights designated for them and did not die… The vessels of the
seven lower [nekudot] descended to the world of Beriya… but their lights remained above,
exposed, without vessels." (Ibid.)

Scripture hints at this process in describing the succeeding kings of Edom: "These are the kings
who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites8. Bela son of Be'or
became king… He died and was succeeded as king by Yoav… Yoav died, and he was succeeded
as king by Chusham… Chusham died, and was succeeded by… etc." (Gen. 36:31-39). The Arizal
explained that this refers to the sefirot of Tohu, each of which rules exclusively, and then shatters
and "dies."

Thus Tohu was a primordial form of existence that "was created in order to be destroyed, and
destroyed in order to be rebuilt" in a superior form (see Mevo L'Chachmat HaKabbala part 2,
shaar 6, ch. 7). The order of creation that followed the disintegration of the world of Tohu is
called the world of Tikun (literally translated as "rectification" or "restoration"). Regarding Tikun,
the Torah states, "And G-d looked over everything that He had made, and indeed it was very
good" (Gen. 1:31). In the words of the Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 3:7; 9:2), as explained by the
Arizal, "these please Me" refers to the sefirot of Tikun, whereas the sefirot of Tohu "do not please
Me".

The sefirot of Tikun were emanated in such a way that they work together interdependently and
harmoniously, as partzufim (literally, "visages" - sing. "partzuf") - compound structures of the
sefirot. A partzuf is a metaphorical figure of human likeness, used to represent the expansion of
an individual sefira (or group of sefirot) into a configuration with ten sefirot of its own. Partzufim
include Atik Yomin, Arich Anpin, Abba, Imma, Zeir Anpin (ben), Nukva (bat)]. As mentioned, the
partzufim work as symbiotic harmonious systems instead of the discrete, independent,
overpowering nekudot of Tohu. What could not be elevated into Atzilut remained in Beriya…

Although the sefirot of Tohu shattered and "died," nevertheless, a residue of the lights that were
contained in the vessels remained clinging to the fragments of the vessels. These are referred to
by the Arizal as the 288 nitzotzin (literally "sparks") - the initial number of fragments from the
vessels that broke. The entire process is alluded to in Scripture in the first couple verses of
Genesis: "In the beginning of G-d's creating the heavens and the earth, when the earth was tohu
and void, and darkness was on the surface of the depths, and the sovereignty of G-d hovered (in
Hebrew "merachefet") above the surface of the waters…." The Arizal explains that the word
"merachefet" is actually a compound of two words: "met" and "rapach" - signifying that 288 (the
numerical value of rapach) fragments had died (in Hebrew, "met") - an allusion to the shattering
of the vessels of Tohu into 288 initial sparks. (Mevo She'arim, shaar 2, ch. 8)

Although the fragments of the vessels initially fell into the world of Beriya, when their
rectification (tikun) began, the most refined aspects of the vessels were able to ascend and
became absorbed in the world of Atzilut. What could not be elevated into Atzilut remained in
Beriya and became an integral part of it. What could not be absorbed into Beriya then descended
into Yetzira and Asiya. The aspects of the vessels that could not be absorbed in even the lowest
realm of holiness became the vitality of the realms of impurity, known as the kelipot. (Ibid.)

The shattering of the sefirot of Tohu is not a coincidence, nor does it signify a flaw in the creative
process. On the contrary, it serves a very specific and important purpose, which is to bring about
a state of separation or partition of the light into distinct qualities and attributes, and thereby
introduce diversity and multiplicity into creation, as explained above. In addition, the shattering
of the vessels of Tohu allows for the possibility of evil, and gives man the opportunity to choose
between good (for which he gains reward) and evil (for which he is punished). Thus G-d's
attributes of chesed and gevura - the attributes from which reward and punishment derive - are
revealed in the world9 , which is one of the primary purposes of creation. (See beginning of
Otzrot Chaim)

Rectifying Sparks
During the act of Creation, a residue of the lights of Tohu remained attached to the shattered
vessels of Tohu, which became absorbed into the four worlds of Atzilut, Beriya, Yetzira and
Asiya. What could not be absorbed into the realms of holiness became the vitality of the realms of
impurity, known as "the impure kelipot". It is man's duty to elevate the 'sparks of holiness' from
their fallen state…

It is man's duty to elevate the "sparks of holiness" from their fallen state. This process of
extracting the sparks is called "Birur", meaning "clarification", which is part of a larger cosmic
plan called "Tikun", meaning rectification or restoration of the broken vessels, and, consequently,
the restoration of the proper cosmic order.

When the sparks of holiness are extracted from the kelipot and are rebuilt into the vessels of
Tikun, the lights that formerly illuminated the sefirot of Tohu can once again be drawn down. But
this time the repaired vessels will be able to contain the light.

Although in theory all the sparks from Tohu must be extracted from the kelipot and absorbed into
holiness, practically speaking this cannot be done in the normal course of things. The kelipot are
divided into two categories - kelipat noga and three completely impure kelipot. (Etz Chaim, shaar
49, ch. 2 ff.) Kelipat noga is an intermediate level between holiness and impurity, and the sparks
that fell into it can be extracted through the proper observance of the mitzvot. The performance of
most mitzvot requires the use of objects, the vitality of which stems from kelipat noga; some
examples are wool from a sheep that is used to fulfill the mitzva of tzitzit, hide from a cow that is
used for parchment on which Torah scrolls, tefillin and mezuzot are written, and the citron fruit
and palm branch for the mitzva of lulav and etrog. The degree of holiness to which the sparks will
ascend depends on the person's kavanot…

When a person performs a mitzva, the vitality of the object, and indeed the vitality of his own
body, which also derives from kelipat noga, is elevated into holiness. The degree of holiness to
which the sparks will ascend depends on the person's kavanot (sing. kavana - intention or
mystical meditation during prayer or while fulfilling a mitzva).

The sparks that fell into the three impure kelipot, however, ascend to holiness only if a person
who became involved with these kelipot (through sin) repents to such an extent that his deliberate
transgressions become transformed into merits. (Rosh Hashana 29a) The consummation of this
purification will be effected only in the future by G-d Himself: "I will cause the spirit of impurity
to pass from the earth" (Zachariah 13:22), and all the fallen sparks will be restored to holiness.

Unit of Creation
"Partzufim" are compound structures of the sefirot. A partzuf is a metaphorical figure of human
likeness, used to represent the expansion of an individual sefira (or group of sefirot) into an
independent configuration with ten sefirot of its own. A partzuf is a metaphorical figure of human
likeness, used to represent the expansion of an individual sefira…

This is arranged such that each sefira contains within itself aspects of all the ten sefirot, and each
aspect is further subdivided into ten again. (See Tikunei Zohar, tikun 47, p. 84a and tikun 69 p.
116b.)

As such, the partzufim represent the rectification of two "flaws" built into the world of Tohu - the
immature state of the vessels and their lack of inter-relationship (not being "enclothed" one
within the other). Indeed, the two primary features of the partzufim are their fully expanded
vessels and their inter-relationship with one another, such that they are even described by names
that characterize the way they function as complex structures and the way they interact with other
partzufim. For example Abba (literally "father") as the partzuf of chochma, and Imma (literally
"mother") as the partzuf of bina, the two of which interact with each other to "give birth" to a
"son", Zeir Anpin, and a "daughter", Malchut.

In the universe of partzufim, it may be said that the chief dynamic of Creation is not evolution,
but rather interaction. This means that higher strata of reality are constantly impinging upon
lower strata, and affecting them like the soul within a body, thereby infusing every element of
Creation with an inner force that transcends its own position within the universal hierarchy.

(Adapted from Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh's Gal Einai website.)

Natural Soul
Classical kabbala identifies four levels of the soul - called Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama and Neshama
L'neshama. Nefesh is the animating principle of the physical body and the senses; ruach is the
force vitalizing the emotions; neshama is the vitality of intellect; and neshama l'neshama is the
essence of life of the human soul. The Arizal refers to this fourth level of soul as Chaya,
signifying its function as the essence of life. However, all these four aspects of the soul he
regarded as mere extensions of the essence of the soul, which he called Yechida.

…Between the Creator and the created [i.e., the aspect of spirituality in general, as opposed to
physical creation] there is an intermediate level, regarding which it states, "You are children
of G-d your Lord…," for our Sages have declared, "the Patriarchs are the merkava [the
Divine Chariot]." The intention here is that a tiny spark of G-dliness, drawn from the lowest
level of the Creator, clothes itself in a single spark of the created in potentia, which is an
extremely ethereal soul. Within this soul-spark, called Yechida, are the roots of all the other
four levels of spirituality - Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama and Chaya. (Etz Chaim, shaar 42, chap 1)
The soul is both part of the Creator and at the same time it is created…

In other words, the soul is both part of the Creator and at the same time it is created. Its luminous
essence is "a tiny spark of G-dliness", and the sheath in which it is clothed is a created being,
albeit a spiritual being and not physical. As the soul emanates from the Ein Sof eventually to be
clothed in the physical body, the soul descends via the four worlds mentioned above, leaving a
root in each of the worlds1 - Chaya in the world of Atzilut, Neshama in the world of Beriya,
Ruach in the world of Yetzira, and Nefesh in the spiritual dimension of Asiya. (Shaar
HaGilgulim, hakdama 1) All of this is then enclothed within a physical body.

The soul enclothed within the body is a reflection of the Divine Form, called the "Tzelem", or
"Tzelem Elo-him". This "Tzelem Elo-him" may be described as the human mold of man's physical
form, linking his body and soul. This mold derives from the configuration of the sefirot, which
form the structure of the worlds through which the soul descends on its journey down into the
body.

At the same time that the soul's outer dimension reflects the configuration of the sefirot, the inner
dimension of the soul reflects the Infinite Light that illuminates the sefirot. This reflection is
called the "Demut Elokim" (literally, the "Image of G-d"; see R. Chaim Vital's Shaarei Kedusha,
part 3, ch. 5, and Likutei Torah, Shir Hashirim, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi). Thus man
includes all of creation within him, from the loftiest spirituality to the most mundane physicality.
(Pardes, shaar 4, ch. 10) If he purifies himself greatly, he may be able to attain the level of…
Yechida, the G-d-consciousness of the level of Adam Kadmon…

From the perspective of man's service of G-d, these levels of soul may be described as five
ascending levels of awareness of, and communion with, G-d. Regarding these levels of soul,
Zohar2 states that when a person is born, he is given a Nefesh from the world of Asiya, the lowest
world, representing the greatest concealment of G-d. If, through his divine service and proper
action, he makes himself worthy, he is then given Ruach on the plane of Yetzira. With greater
effort, he can earn the revelation of Neshama, paralleling the world of Beriya. If he purifies
himself greatly, he may be able to attain the level of Chaya paralleling Atzilut, and even Yechida,
the G-d-consciousness of the level of Adam Kadmon and beyond. ("Beyond," because the level of
soul called yechida, in essence, transcends all the worlds, since it is never separated from G-d. It
is described as being "truly part of G-d above," the "spark of the Creator clothed within a spark of
the created" described earlier. See Job 31:2 and Tanya ch. 2)

This setup puts humankind in a unique position, for through his spiritual and physical
composition (soul and body) he is bound up with all levels of Creation. His actions and behavior
are therefore capable of affecting all the worlds and all the sefirot. Thus, man is a microcosm of
Creation, and his actions have cosmic significance. (R. Chaim Vital, Shaarei Kedusha III, 2-3)
He is able to affect the balance of the universe, both spiritual and physical, by his kavanot
(mystical intentions) and yichudim (unifications of the sefirot). The Arizal revealed an elaborate
system of kavanot and yichudim designed to achieve this very purpose.

This ends our introduction to the basic concepts of Lurianic Kabbala.

Northern Exposure
From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

In the beginning [in Hebrew, "bereishit"], Elo-him created the heavens and the earth. (Gen. 1:1)

Why did the Torah begin with the letter beit [of "bereishit"], and not with an alef? Why was the
alef saved for the first letter of "I am G-d" - "Anochi" - the first word of the Ten Commandments?
The fact that the Torah begins with the letter beit teaches that the Torah has or contains two
aspects: peshat [its simple or literal meaning] and sod [its deeper meaning].

The sod of the Torah…its "soul" corresponds to the World to Come…

The peshat of the Torah is its "body", while the sod of the Torah is its "soul". Its "body"
corresponds to This World, while its "soul" corresponds to the World to Come. The important
thing to know is that, although the complete revelation of the "soul" level of the Torah is reserved
for the World to Come, this does not mean that "drops" or "inklings" of that deeper level are not
accessible now.

The Torah in which the Holy One took delight [before creating the world], as well as the Torah
that the tzadikim learn in the Garden of Eden, is none other than its level of sod. Indeed, the
Torah studied in the Garden of Eden was the initial Torah.

Therefore, [the fact that the Torah begins with the letter beit] also teaches that the Torah [that we
have here in the physical dimension] is the "second" Torah, the one that was enclothed [assumed
the lower form of This World] and which is a "garment" for the initial Torah [its "soul"]. Again,
for this reason the Torah begins with a beit, which itself is the second letter of the alef-beit.
[Our Sages cautioned (Chagiga 14b) that] we do not have permission to speak about what
precedes alef, for this relates to questions such as: What is Above? [What preceded this world?]
What is below? Etc. Alef corresponds to the dimension of Atzilut, the "first" world, in that it
precedes Beriya, the "second" world. This teaches that the Torah that we have comes from
Beriya. Accordingly, it uses the word "bara" [meaning "created"], since it is only up to This
World [the level of Beriya] that we have permission to speak. For this reason, the Torah begins
with the letter beit.

Atzilut, and all the more so anything that precedes it, in contrast, we may only contemplate in
thought.

Atzilut thus corresponds to pure thought. Beriya corresponds to oscillating thought, i.e. the
intermediate stage that takes place as we translate pure thought into words. Yetzira corresponds to
speech, and Asiya corresponds to deed.

This set of correspondences is alluded to in the verse, "He saw it, and He declared it; He
measured it; yes, and He examined it" (Job 28:27).

"He saw" - pure thought, corresponding to Atzilut, chochma

"He declared" - oscillating thought, corresponding to Beriya, bina

"He measured" - speech, corresponding to Yetzira, tiferet

"He examined" - deed, corresponding to Asiya, malchut

Alternatively, the reason the Torah begins with the beit of "bereishit" is because the letter beit is
breached [open] on one side, and enclosed on three sides. In this sense, its form is like that of the
world.

The intention behind this was that, if any man would think to declare himself a deity, people
would challenge him to create [i.e. complete] the fourth "side" of the world. Caius Caligula is one
such example.

Regarding Caius Caligula, we find in the Talmud: "It happened once that Shimon HaTzadik
heard a voice from heaven issue forth from the Holy of Holies announcing, 'The enemy's decree
[to place a statue of himself] in the Temple has been annulled.' At that moment, in another part of
the world, Caius Caligula was slain and his decrees annulled. They noted down the time [when
the voice from heaven was heard] and it tallied [with the time of Caligula's assassination]".
(Sotah 33a; see Josephus, The Jewish War, Book II 9:1)

This breached side is none other than the north side of the world, as the verse indicates, "He
stretches forth the North over Tohu, and suspends the earth upon nothingness". (Job 26:7) That is,
the Blessed One placed the Firmament over all the other directions - east, west and south - as a
dome is placed over walls. Only over the breached north side of the world is the Firmament
suspended over Tohu.
Behold, the entire thickness of the earth, compared to the depth of the Atlantic Ocean, is like that
of a mustard seed…

Physical evidence for this [spiritual principle] may be found in the fact that ships wishing to
travel from the north-east to the north-west cannot travel west along the northern border. Instead,
they must take a long roundabout route, traveling south along the eastern border, then west along
the southern border, and then north along the western border, until they reach their destination in
the north-west.

Clearly, if they could travel straight along the northern border, they would do so, for it is a much
shorter route. Rather, that border is breached, like a city whose northern wall has been destroyed.
Ships therefore cannot travel there.

Behold, the entire thickness of the earth, compared to the depth of the Atlantic Ocean, is like that
of a mustard seed. For the Atlantic Ocean is five hundred years deep [i.e. it would take five
hundred years to span it by foot], whereas the thickness of earth is a mere seven years.

Kabbalistic tradition always clothed information about the hidden spiritual dimension in the
"scientific" facts of that time. In the words of the Maharal of Prague: "The Sages did not concern
themselves in the least with physical phenomena, but with [underlying spiritual] essence..."
(Maharal, Beer HaGolah, Be'er HaShishi, p. 128).

Note: "Our Sages encoded much of the esoteric tradition that they had received in matters
relating to nature or astronomy. In other words, they utilized the knowledge of nature and
astronomy that was accepted among Gentile scholars of their time [in order to transmit hidden
knowledge]. Thus, they never intended to teach the 'physical' facts concerning these phenomena,
but rather to utilize these facts as garments or vehicles for esoteric secrets. One should therefore
not think that they were wrong because a particular [scientific] model that they used is no longer
accepted. Their intention was to clothe the hidden tradition in the accepted knowledge of their
generation. That very tradition could have been clothed in a different garment according to what
was accepted [as scientific fact] in other generations. And, in fact, the originator of that particular
haggadic statement would have done so himself had he stated it in those other generations".
(Ramchal, Maamar HaAggadot, Introduction to EinYaakov)

In the Future.....G-d will tell the North…to yield all of its goodness to the righteous…

Rav Chaim now returns to the original problem at hand, namely, the nature of the fourth,
breached, side of the world. In one sense, this side seems to be identified with evil, desolation,
etc. On the other hand, he will now quote verses to the effect that there is another, extremely
positive aspect to the north:

[In order to further clarify the nature of this breached north side of the world,] we can pit one
verse against another. One verse states, "Evil will emerge from the North upon all the inhabitants
of the land". (Jeremiah 1:14) From here, it seems that the north represents Gehinom.
Another verse, however, states, "How great is the good [i.e. the light] that You have hidden away
[in Hebrew, 'tzafanta', related to the Hebrew word for 'north', 'tzafon'] for those who fear You".
(Psalms 31:20) And another verse states, "…whose stomachs You fill from that which is hidden".
(Psalms 17:14) The word for "hidden away" ["tzafon"] in these two latter verses refers to Gan
Eden, for it is there that the Hidden Good is stored away for the righteous. And another verse
states, "I will say to the North, 'Give forth!'" (Isaiah 43:6), that is, in the Future, G-d will tell the
North [meaning that which is 'hidden away' - in Hebrew "tzafun" - i.e. Gan Eden] to yield all of
its goodness to the righteous.

Gehinom and Gan Eden are opposites. How can one word represent both? And what does this
have to do with the breached side of the world?

Rather, the truth is that North ["tzafon"] is the side of gevura and Isaac, just as South is the side
of chesed and Abraham. Chesed is also associated with the element of water [which expands and
spreads forth]. Similarly, Abraham performed chesed for the whole world.

These two places that emerged from the breached northern side of the world both preceded the
world…

Isaac, on the other hand, embodies gevura and the element of fire, i.e. the north side of the world.
[Gevura is the opposite of chesed; whereas chesed gives forth, gevura restrains.] For this reason,
Isaac didn't want to bless Jacob. He didn't even want to bless Esau, except as a reward [i.e. in
return for a kindness]. This is the meaning of what Isaac said to Esau: "Now take your sword and
your bow, and go out to the field to trap some game for me. Make it into a tasty dish, the way I
like it, and bring it to me to eat. My soul will then bless you before I die". (Gen. 27:3-4)

[The explanation for this seeming anomaly is this:] Just as Jacob and Esau both emerged from
Isaac, so also Gan Eden and Gehinom emerge from the North, the breached side of the world.

Similarly, just as Gan Eden and Gehinom both preceded the world, so also did G-d precede the
Torah with the beit of "bereishit". In this way, He informed us that these two places that emerged
from the breached northern side of the world both preceded the world.

We know that Gan Eden preceded the world from the verse, "G-d planted a garden in Eden to the
East [in Hebrew, "mi'kedem", which also means 'from before']. (Gen. 2:8) Similarly, we know
that Gehinom preceded the world from the verse, "For its hearth is ordained of old… G-d's
breath, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it". (Isaiah 30:33)

This, then, is the meaning of "Bereishit": beit (the number 2) - reishit (meaning "beginnings"). It
thus reinforces the knowledge that the righteous who keep the Torah will be rewarded, while
those who nullify and negate the Torah will receive their due punishment.

[Annotated translation by Avraham Sutton of Likutei Torah, Chumash HaAri, Bereishit, p. 5-6.]
Spiritual Wages
From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

Rabbi Chaim Vital gives us an anecdotal illustration of the lengths the Arizal went to in order to
deal with his employees properly.

My teacher [the Arizal] was extremely careful regarding the commandment of paying a worker
[on time]. He sometimes put off praying Mincha until he had paid [his workers]. This sometimes
meant waiting to pray until sunset if he did not have the cash to pay the wages and had to send
people all over to ask others for money until he had enough to pay the wages. Only then would he
pray Mincha, saying, "How can I pray to G-d when such a great mitzvah comes my way? Can I
put it off and still face G-d in prayer?"

The wages of a hired worker shall not abide with you [through the night] until morning. (Lev.
19:13)

In another verse [that details this commandment] it is written:

On the day he [earns them] you shall give [him] his wages. (Deut. 24:15)

The full verse is: "Do not withhold the wages due to your poor or destitute hired hand, whether
he is one of your brethren, or a proselyte living in a settlement in your land. You must give him
his wage on the day it is due, and not let the sun set with him waiting for it. Since he is a poor
man, and to you he lifts his soul, do not let him call out to God, causing you to have a sin."

Jewish law clarifies:

What is "on time"? If the workman had finished the work during the day, he should be paid
before the end of that day; if he finishes his work in the evening, he should be paid during the
night. Whenever a person performs any commandment…he accrues an additional level of
Shabbat holiness - even on the weekday… So also is the case with the workman hired by the
week, or month, or year, if he has finished his work during the day, he should be paid during the
day; if he has finished his work during the night, he should be paid during the night, but not later.
The employer does not transgress the law unless the workman demands his wages and he, the
employer, has the money to pay. If the workman failed to demand his wages, or the employer
lacks the money to pay the workman, then there is no violation of the law. Nevertheless, a
scrupulous employer should, if necessary, borrow the money to pay the wages at the proper time,
for the workman is poor and sets his heart upon his pay…" [From the Concise Code of Jewish
Law, vol. 4, ch. 185, laws 2&4 (Translation by Hyman Goldin Hebrew Publishing Company)]

The initials of these words [in the above verse, "beyomo titein secharo"] spell Shabbat. This is
because whenever a person performs any commandment or learns a lot of Torah on a weekday,
he accrues an additional level of Shabbat holiness-even on the weekday. This applies to the [full]
extent individuals are capable of accruing additional measures of Shabbat holiness.
Learning Torah and performing mitzvot increases the individual's divine consciousness. Since
Shabbat is the day of higher divine consciousness, we may conceive of the additional measure of
divine consciousness attained by learning Torah and doing mitzvot as a "piece of Shabbat" that is
added the individual. This happens, of course, even in the case of divine service performed on
weekdays.

This accords with what Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai taught, namely, that Torah scholars possess on
weekdays the [level of] soul that the unlearned possess on the Shabbat.

Thus, the reward that G-d grants Torah scholars for their studies, or to those who observe the
commandments, is likened to that of a worker who expects his wages. For such people earn their
[spiritual] desserts daily - even on weekdays, when they accrue additional measures of Shabbat
holiness. Therefore, the initials of these words allude to the Shabbat.

Furthermore, the wages mentioned in this verse can understood, as well, to refer to the reward
one earns each day [for his study and/or observance of the Torah]. These combine with the other
[reward], the additional measure of Shabbat holiness that comes automatically with the Shabbat,
as is known.

On Shabbat, every Jew's consciousness ascends a spiritual notch, no matter what.

Thus, these two additional measures [of divine consciousness] are given to the person on
Shabbat. In this sense, [both types of] "wages" paid to this type of "worker" are paid on the
Shabbat. The Shabbat is therefore alluded to in this verse, and this is the mystical meaning of "he
who toils on the day[s] before the Shabbat will eat on the Shabbat."(Avoda Zara 3a) The
employer is given an extra level of soul with which to sustain his soul…

The physical sense of this statement is simply that if one prepares his meals and other needs
before Shabbat, he will be able to enjoy them on Shabbat, but if not, he will have nothing to
enjoy because the preparations he should have done beforehand are forbidden to do on Shabbat.
The spiritual sense of the statement is that the extent of one's spiritual experience or level of
consciousness on Shabbat is proportional to the amount of spiritual preparation for Shabbat one
engages in during the preceding week. In more prosaic terms: one cannot expect to live (think,
eat) like an animal during the week and suddenly turn into an angel on Shabbat; if a person
doesn't want to be left out of the action on Shabbat, he'd better put some time into refining
himself while he still can - during the week.

Additionally, [this verse implies] that specifically someone who fulfills the commandment of
paying a worker [on time] acquires the ability to attain an additional level of soul the following
Shabbat. This reward is given to him measure for measure, for with regard to paying a worker [on
time] it is said, "for… he lifts up his soul to you."(Deut. 24:15) Therefore, in recompense [for
granting him his soul, so to speak], likewise the employer is given an extra level of soul with
which to sustain his [weekday] soul [on the Shabbat]. And therefore, the Shabbat is alluded to in
the initials of this verse.

The idiomatic meaning of "he lifts up his soul" is "he looks expectantly" or "he directs his
desire."
[Adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky from The Writings of the Ari, Ta'amei HaMitzvot.]

4 Who Entered the Orchard

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

[augmented by Shaar Maamarei Chazal (p. 3b on Chagiga 14b), in square brackets with (SMC)
at the end.]

Four entered the Orchard (Pardes). They were Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Acher [literally, "the
Other", referring to Elisha ben Abuya], and Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva warned them, "When
you enter near the stone of pure marble, do not say 'water, water,' since [there is actually no
water there at all, and] it is written, 'He who speaks falsehood will not be established before
My eyes' (Psalms 101:7)."

Ben Azzai gazed and died. Regarding him it is written, "Precious in G-d's eyes is the death of His
pious ones" (Psalms 116:15).

Ben Zoma gazed and was stricken [with insanity; he went out of his mind]. Regarding him it
is written, "You have found honey, eat moderately lest you bloat yourself and vomit it".
(Proverbs 25:16)

Acher gazed and cut the plantings [i.e. he became a heretic].

Rabbi Akiva [entered in peace and] departed in peace...

(Chagiga 14b)

The ministering angels also wished to cast down Rabbi Akiva, but the Holy One said, "Leave this
elder alone, for he is worthy of making use of My glory"

(Chagiga 15b)

Since Adam committed his sin, we have been eating its fruits [suffering its consequences]
throughout the entire period of This World. It will not be rectified completely until the
advent of the Mashiach.

Now, these four sages were some of the greatest of their generation. [They were extraordinary
in wisdom and piety, as is known, for they were able to see with Ruach HaKodesh, and they
mastered the discipline of Maaseh Merkava, the Work of the Chariot (SMC).] Their intention
therefore was nothing less than to rectify what Adam had caused to be defective.

It is possible that they intended to rectify the entire sin. Possibly, they wanted to rectify those
aspects of Adam's sin that related directly to the root of their souls in Adam.
These sages saw and understood that they would have to rectify the very thing that Adam
damaged. Adam had prematurely enlarged the keter of Zeir Anpin [before Shabbat], that is,
before the entry of the mochin of Abba. This is what caused all the damage mentioned
above. [That is, Zeir's daat, from the side of Imma, fell and descended below between his
shoulders, into the upper third of the sefira of tiferet. (SMC)] It is therefore impossible to
rectify that defect and raise up Zeir Anpin's daat, without first drawing up the fallen mochin
of Abba and having them enter into Zeir. Only then will it be possible to rectify Zeir's keter,
and to raise Zeir's daat up above to its place. With this, all will be rectified. These four sages
wanted to rectify this defect by all four of them working together…

Know, therefore, that anyone who wants to rectify this defect must draw all four mochin of Abba,
namely, chochma, bina, and daat (which is made up of two aspects, namely, chasadim and
gevurot). In order to do this, a very great tikun is required.

Now, understand that these four sages wanted to rectify this defect by all four of them
working together. That is, each one would concentrate on drawing up one of the four
mochin of Abba. [They didn't think that each of them had the ability to draw up all four mochin.
(SMC)] The problem is that they erred in thinking this way. The only way they could
possibly have succeeded would be if each of them drew up all four mochin. You will
therefore find that even Rabbi Akiva's life was endangered when the ministering angels
(alternatively: the attribute of din/judgment) wanted to cast him down.

The fact is that this is truly astonishing. Why would the angels want to cast Rabbi Akiva
down? [alt: Could the attribute of din have cast him down?] We can understand wanting to
cast down the others, for they sinned and were worthy of being punished. Rabbi Akiva, on
the other hand, did not sin, but rather entered in peace [and departed in peace]. Why would
they have cast him down had the Holy One not intervened and said "Leave this elder alone,
for he is worthy of making use of My glory"?

The answer is, however, that Rabbi Akiva should have tried to rectify all four mochin of Abba. It
matters not that, as we shall explain, in the process of concentrating on one, he was able to draw
up all four. The fact remains that he should have striven to rectify all four and then draw them all
up. Not having done so, this caused the angels to want to cast him down. And again, they would
have done so, had the Holy One not intervened, saying that Rabbi Akiva was worthy after
succeeding in drawing up all four by means of rectifying one.

This having been said, we will now begin to clarify the particular tikun that each of these sages
intended to do:

Each of the Four Sages tried to raise up one of the Four Mochin of Abba:

Ben Azzai tried to raise

chochma of Abba
up

Ben Zoma tried to raise bina of Abba

 up

R' Akiva tried to raise Crown of chesed [of

up daat]

Crown of gevura [of

Acher tried to raise up
daat]

Ben Azzai began by attempting to draw the chochma of Abba into Zeir Anpin. His
assumption was that, if he could rectify the [fallen] chochma of Abba and draw it into Zeir
Anpin, it [chochma of Abba] would then rise up and draw up the [fallen] chochma of Imma
with it as well. Being on the right side [of Imma], which is the source of the chasadim [of
daat], chochma of Imma would then draw up the fallen crown of chesed that had descended
below (as mentioned above...) and raise it up to [its proper] position in daat. The chasadim of
daat would then draw and raise up the [fallen] gevurot as well, being that the nature of
chesed and gevura is always to join together. Similar to a man and wife, their sole desire is
to unite, for in this sense they are like two mochin, like chochma and bina [which are called
"two friends who never part"]. These two mochin-crowns…sought a more expansive place so that
they could dwell at ease…

All this is true despite the fact that we explained above (...) that, when the chasadim and gevurot
fell "between the shoulders," they became separated from each other, with the chasadim
remaining on the right shoulder, and the gevurot remaining on the left shoulder. The reason this
does not contradict what we said is because [ultimately] when these two mochin-crowns
descended there, they found it to be a very constricted place. They therefore sought a more
expansive place so that they could dwell at ease.

However [Ben Azzai reasoned], when the crown of chesed rises up, there is no question that
the desire of the crown of gevura [to be one with its mate] will impel it to rise up together
with it. In this way [he thought], daat would return to its place and all four mochin would
surely be rectified.

And [again, according to Ben Azzai's plan] it was not necessary to draw the bina of Imma up
together with chochma of Imma [although, in truth, that too had fallen], and to therefore draw
up bina of Abba as well. This would be totally unnecessary for the simple reason that the
entire purpose of drawing up and then bringing down the chochma and bina of Abba below,
is to raise up the daat that had fallen below. Therefore, when the daat would rise up, the
bina of Imma would rise up of its own accord. In truth, only daat descended…

However, Ben Azzai erred in his thoughts. For although we have explained elsewhere that
both chochma and bina of Imma descended, this is not to be taken literally. In truth, only
daat descended, for the reason that we mentioned above in connection with Adam's sin. The
chochma and bina of Imma themselves, however, did not descend. Only their illumination
[i.e. their NHY, that is, netzach-hod-yesod; otherwise called their "achorayim", their back side],
the reason being that they had to stay close enough to keep daat alive [even] in its fallen
state below. For daat is, after all, their offspring [i.e. of chochma and bina]. For daat is the
chasadim and gevurot that came forth from chochma and bina of Imma, as is known.

In sum, the chochma and bina of Imma remain above, quite a distance from daat which
descended below. When Ben Azzai then raised up the chochma of Imma by means of the
chochma of Abba, the chochma of Imma did not have the power to raise up with her the fallen
crown of chesed, because of its distance. Not only was chochma of Imma incapable to raising up
the crown of chesed, however, but in addition, another defect occurred.

At first, [the illumination of] chochma of Imma was in fairly close proximity to both the
chasadim and the gevurot, such that it was able to illuminate them and sweeten them. Now,
however, when it rose up, it separated completely from the gevurot and became distant
from them. As a result, they turned into extremely severe dinim [judgments] with no
sweetening. Ben Azzai…died because he separated and cut chochma off from the gevurot…

For bringing about such a situation, death was decreed upon Ben Azzai. He died because he
separated and cut chochma off from the gevurot. He caused a cleavage and "cut the plantings",
and in doing so, greatly amplified the power of the dinim [judgments]. He therefore died, in the
mystery of the verse, "They shall die without wisdom" (Job 4:21). That is, "They shall die
because chochma has departed from them."

Be that as it may, since Ben Azzai's tikun was with chochma, and his desire was to raise up
the chochma of Imma and the chasadim, both of which are on the right side, it is therefore
said concerning him, "Precious in G-d's eyes is the death of His pious ones [in Hebrew,
"chasidav", from the root word "chesed"]" (Psalms 116:15). [Chesed is in the right column,
immediately beneath chochma.] That is, he was considered precious and a chasid in the
[partial] tikun that he was successful in doing.

To continue with this explication of the fates of the Four Sages, click here

Translated and adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky from Sefer HaLikutim and Likutei Torah;
subsequently published in "Apples From the Orchard."

Reprinted with permission from Chabad of California. Copyright 2004 by Chabad of California,
Inc. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any
form, without permission, in writing, from Chabad of California, Inc.

4 Who Entered the Orchard-Part 2

By Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (from the Writings of the Ari as recorded by Rabbi Chaim Vital)
[Adapted by Abraham Sutton from the Writings of the Ari, augmented by Shaar Maamarei
Chazal (p. 3b on Chagiga 14b), in square brackets with (SMC) at the end.]

Ben Zoma wanted to draw up the bina of Abba. He thought and reasoned like this: The third
aspect of Adam's sin (see above) consisted in allowing the kelipot to grab unto and derive
nourishment and power from the crown of gevura (the gevurot) when he caused it (them) to
descend below and become separated from the crown of chesed (the chasadim). (This was the
root of the third defect and blemish that Adam had brought about.)

"If so", Ben Zoma thought, "I will attempt to rectify and raise up the crown of gevura
alone. In this way, everything else will automatically receive its rectification". Ben Zoma
thus began by drawing up the bina of Abba so that it would draw up the bina of Imma,
which would then draw up the gevurot, which are from her side [the left side]. In this way,
they would all rise up above, and the chitzonim [the external forces of the kelipa - the forces of
chaos, randomness and disorder, darkness and evil, etc.] would be prevented from grabbing
unto them any more as they had as a result of Adam's sin. Ben Zoma caused a great defect by
joining the gevurot with bina of Imma…

But Ben Zoma also erred. At least the chasadim were together with the gevurot below before
he started. The gevurot were therefore at least partially sweetened by virtue of their close
proximity of the chasadim. In particular, bina, which is sometimes called supernal gevura
[because it is the source of gevura] was far away [and far above] them [the gevurot]. [As the
source of gevura, bina is also called "Ba'al Hagevurot", "Master of the Gevurot", as in the second
blessing in the Standing Prayer.]

Now, however, the gevurot had risen up, and in the process had become distanced from the
chasadim. If this wasn't enough, they now had bonded with bina of Imma which [as stated] is
called Supernal gevura. In short, he caused all the gevurot to join together without the
mediating and sweetening agency of the chasadim. The gevurot thus became extremely stern
dinim [judgments].

And though Ben Zoma relied on Ben Azzai's accomplishments, he nevertheless caused a
great defect by joining the gevurot with bina of Imma. Indeed, Ben Zoma's sin was more
severe than Ben Azzai's. At least Ben Azzai had left the chasadim below to continue
sweetening the gevurot. In addition, as mentioned, bina, Supernal gevura, had been far away
from [and far above] the gevurot. Ben Azzai, therefore, did not cause a defect in them. He
rather distanced the chochma of Imma from them by raising it up.

Ben Zoma, on the other hand, distanced the gevurot from the chasadim and the chochma.
And in addition, he allowed them to bond with the gevura of bina [i.e. with bina, the supernal
gevura], and they became extremely severe dinim [judgments]. He was therefore punished
more harshly, for he gazed and was stricken, and went out of his mind. It is the nature of the
female to rise up and to seek the male…

The mystery of the matter is this: It is the nature of the female to rise up [i.e. to arouse
passion] and to seek [to unite with] the male, as per the verse concerning Eve, "Your
desire/passion will be to/for your husband". (Gen. 3:16) The male, on the other hand, has
no desire to rise up [i.e. arouse passion] toward the female. It is human nature that she needs
him, whereas he does not need her. [The male energy is giving, while the female energy is a
receiving and nourishing one.] In the same way, if the chasadim rise up first, the gevurot
naturally follow suit. Now, however, that the gevurot, which are female relative to the
chasadim, have risen up, the chasadim will not necessarily rise up with them.

Now, behold, the inner level of daat of Zeir Anpin is yesod of Imma, within which are the
crowns of chasadim and gevurot respectively. [In other words, yesod of Imma, which contains
the crowns of chasadim and gevurot, is clothed with the level of daat of Zeir Anpin.] This yesod
of Imma descended below. (Know, too, that daat is only complete/perfect when its two
halves, chesed and gevura, are united.) Such that, when Ben Zoma brought forth [raised up]
the gevurot from daat (which is none other than the yesod of Imma that descended below),
one half of daat (i.e. the gevurot) went up, while the other half (the chasadim) remained
below.

Having caused the gevurot to depart from daat, he too - measure for measure - was stricken with
insanity. He lost his daat by going out of his mind. Because Ben Zoma relied on what Ben Azzai
had already succeeded in rectifying…he did not die, but rather went out of his mind…

It turns out that, in one sense, Ben Zoma was punished less severely than Ben Azzai. [After
all, Ben Azzai died, and Ben Zoma only went out of his mind.] This is because Ben Zoma relied
on what Ben Azzai had already succeeded in rectifying, and he actually added another
partial tikun. For this reason, he did not die, but rather went out of his mind.

Thus, as we said, in view of the fact that Ben Azzai rectified the right side of chesed, he was
called "Chasid" [in Hebrew, "pious/devoted one", who serves the Beloved out of complete
selflessness and love]. Regarding him it is written, "Precious in G-d's eyes is the death of His
pious ones" (Psalms 116:15), which is a praise and an approbation [as brought in the Zohar
on this verse].

Ben Zoma, on the other hand, is described disparagingly. Regarding him it is written, "You
have found honey, eat moderately lest you bloat yourself and vomit it". (Proverbs 25:16)
That is, as I have already informed you concerning the mitzvah of Shofar (Shaar
Hakavanot, Rosh Hashanah, Drush 7; Pri Etz Chayim, Drushei HaShofar, chapters 1-2),
there are 320 Judgments. "Honey", in Hebrew "devash" [which has a numerical value of
306], and which is considered the kind of sweetness that is the root and source of
judgments, is equal to the numerical value of the first two letters of the word "shofar", the
shin and vav [= 306]. Because Ben Zoma greatly amplified the severe power of the gevurot
and the judgments, this disparaging verse was applied to him.

Rabbi Akiva rectified more than all of them. And furthermore, he did not sin, for focused more
on rectifying the crown of chesed.

Translated and adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky from Sefer HaLikutim and Likutei Torah;
subsequently published in "Apples From the Orchard."
Reprinted with permission from Chabad of California. Copyright 2004 by Chabad of California,
Inc. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any
form, without permission, in writing, from Chabad of California, Inc.

Anatomy of the Creation

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth... (Gen. 1:1)

In Man himself, we also find "earth" and "heaven". The diaphragm [right below the solar
plexus] divides the organs of breathing [the respiratory system] from the organs of digestion.
In the larger universe, this [diaphragm] corresponds to the firmament [atmosphere] that is
spread out over the earth.

The diaphragm is thus seen as separating between the more spiritual aspects of the body
["heaven"] and the lower, more physical aspects ["earth"]. The Torah indicates clearly that the
'clothes' are not the Man…

Above it [the diaphragm] we thus have the heart, the lungs, the brain, etc., while below, we
have the more corporeal and gross physical [organs]. According to this, the upper half of a
person is the "heavenly" half, and the lower half is the "earthly" half. Man, in this sense, is
a miniature world.

We see this in the verse, "Let us make Man in our image and in our likeness" (Gen. 1:26),
wherein the G-dly Tzelem ["image"] refers to soul of Man. The soul, in other words, is what
the Torah calls [the real] Man [Adam]. This is seen in another verse that states, "Do not
anoint the flesh of a man..." (Num. 30:32). The Torah indicates clearly that the "clothes"
are not the Man.

At the beginning of Shaarei Kedusha, Rabbi Chaim Vital similarly writes:

It is known to the masters of the sciences that a person's body is not his essence [but rather a
vehicle for his soul]. The body is therefore referred to as "Man's flesh", as in the verse,
"Cover me [my essence] with skin and flesh, and surround me with bones and sinews" (Job
10:11). It is also written, "Do not anoint the flesh of a man..." (Num. 30:32). The inner being
is the true self, while the body is merely a garment…

[In both these verses] we find that the inner being is the true self, while the body is merely a
garment with which the soul covers itself while [sojourning] in this world. At the moment of
death, when the soul departs, this garment is removed, and it is clothed in a pure, clean,
spiritual garment. It is thus written, "Remove the soiled garments... and you shall be
clothed in fine robes" (Zachariah 3:4); these "fine robes" are none other than the
"rabbinical mantle" [in Aramaic, "chaluka d'rabbanan", or spiritual energy body with which
the soul is clothed when it enters the Garden of Eden].

Just as a tailor makes a suit of clothes to fit a person's physique, so did the Holy One blessed-be-
He make the body as a garment to clothe the soul. And just as a suit is cut and tailored according
to the exact proportions of a person's limbs, so did the Holy One make the body according to the
pattern of the soul. The body thus has 248 organs/limbs, along with 365 blood vessels which
connect them and transport life-giving blood from one to the other, similar to a system of pipes.

With regard to the body, the verse states, "Let us make…" [indicating the level of Asiya].
For, indeed, the body is made from materials provided by the physical world. The same is
[partially] true of angels. When they descend to our lower world, they too must "dress up"
in a body that conforms to the laws of this material plane.

Concerning the ability of angels to "dress up" in a physical form, the Zohar states: "It has been
established: These [angels are able to exist in this world because they] appear to humans in
human form. And if you should ask: How do they transform themselves thus? They
transform through many colors [energy frequencies]. When they are ready to actually
descend, they dress up in [take on the molecular structure of] the earth's atmosphere, and
they appear as humans." (Zohar I:58a)

In another place, the Zohar makes an important connection between the way angels descend into
our world and the way that we (our souls) ascend into the spiritual dimension: "[At the moment
of death] the spirit [Ruach] separates [and divests itself] of the lower soul [Nefesh] in order to
[rise up and] enter the lowest level of the Garden of Eden [the world of Yetzira]. There it
'clothes' itself in the atmosphere of that Garden, in exactly the opposite manner that the
supernal angels 'clothe' themselves in physicality when they descend to this world." (Zohar
I:81a) The soul…dresses up in the atmosphere of the worlds…

These angels are of the level of Ruach [the world of Yetzira] about whom it is written, "He
makes His Messenger-Angels Spirits" (Ps. 104:4). This means that He makes the Messenger-
Angels of Yetzira descend to the world of Asiya-Action [the physical world] as messengers.
The Ruach-Spirit of Man, on the other hand, goes up from the physical world to the lowest
level of the Garden of Eden and 'wears' the garb of that dimension. She [the soul] is refined
there and has tremendous pleasure...

This is why the three angels who visited Abraham appeared to eat.

The Zohar (I:102a), Talmud (Bava Metzia 86b), and Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 48:14; Shemot
Rabba 47:5) all cite the famous teaching that, "One should never deviate from the customs of the
place he visits" (the Jewish equivalent of: "When in Rome do as the Romans"). Concerning
Moses, it is written, "He remained there with G-d [on the mountain] for 40 days and 40 nights
without eating bread or drinking water" (Ex. 34:28), and "I remained on the mountain 40 days
and 40 nights, without eating food or drinking water" (Deut. 9:9). The Midrash asks: Is it possible
for a human being to go without food and drink for so long [and not die]? Rather, Moshe went up
to heaven where there is no food, so he did not eat. [The Midrash adds at the end of 47:5: So how
did he survive if he didn't eat? He was nourished by the radiance of the Divine Presence. And do
not be surprised. For the Angels above that carry the Divine Throne are similarly nourished from
the radiance of the Divine Presence.] Conversely, when the angels descended to Abraham, they
seemed to eat and drink, as it is written, "He stood over them and they ate under the tree" (Gen.
18:8). The Midrash and Zohar both exclaim: Do you think that those supernal beings really ate?
It only seemed that they were eating! Since angels are fire, the food was consumed as they put it
in their mouths. All the while it seemed that they were eating like normal humans.

The same is true of the soul of Man. [In order to be born] it must dress up in the atmosphere
of this-world.

This explains, as well, why the verse is spoken in the plural, "Let us make…." The soul is
from the Blessed One. [In order to be born] it descends and dresses up in the atmosphere of
the worlds [or actually dresses "down" in and through the various atmospheres of each lower
world/dimension, each of which contributes another garment which the soul dons as it
approaches our gross physical plane of existence].

[Speaking to these various levels and their angelic inhabitants, G-d] thus says, "Let us make a
garment for man, i.e. the soul, with which he will be able to descend into the dimension of
Asiya". Man will then be "in our image" [in Hebrew, "be'tzalmenu", from the word "Tzelem"],
referring to the spiritual image of the angels, and "in our likeness" [in Hebrew,
"ki'demutenu"], referring to the physical garments within which they [the angels] clothe
themselves when they enter the atmosphere of this world.

We thus see that Man consists of two aspects: Adam Elyon, Superior Man - the soul, and Adam
Tachton, Inferior Man - the body.

[Translation and commentary by Avraham Sutton; Likutei Torah (Chumash HaAri, Bereishit, p.
6)]

Anatomy of the Creation

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth... (Gen. 1:1)

In Man himself, we also find "earth" and "heaven". The diaphragm [right below the solar
plexus] divides the organs of breathing [the respiratory system] from the organs of digestion.
In the larger universe, this [diaphragm] corresponds to the firmament [atmosphere] that is
spread out over the earth.

The diaphragm is thus seen as separating between the more spiritual aspects of the body
["heaven"] and the lower, more physical aspects ["earth"]. The Torah indicates clearly that the
'clothes' are not the Man…
Above it [the diaphragm] we thus have the heart, the lungs, the brain, etc., while below, we
have the more corporeal and gross physical [organs]. According to this, the upper half of a
person is the "heavenly" half, and the lower half is the "earthly" half. Man, in this sense, is
a miniature world.

We see this in the verse, "Let us make Man in our image and in our likeness" (Gen. 1:26),
wherein the G-dly Tzelem ["image"] refers to soul of Man. The soul, in other words, is what
the Torah calls [the real] Man [Adam]. This is seen in another verse that states, "Do not
anoint the flesh of a man..." (Num. 30:32). The Torah indicates clearly that the "clothes"
are not the Man.

At the beginning of Shaarei Kedusha, Rabbi Chaim Vital similarly writes:

It is known to the masters of the sciences that a person's body is not his essence [but rather a
vehicle for his soul]. The body is therefore referred to as "Man's flesh", as in the verse,
"Cover me [my essence] with skin and flesh, and surround me with bones and sinews" (Job
10:11). It is also written, "Do not anoint the flesh of a man..." (Num. 30:32). The inner being
is the true self, while the body is merely a garment…

[In both these verses] we find that the inner being is the true self, while the body is merely a
garment with which the soul covers itself while [sojourning] in this world. At the moment of
death, when the soul departs, this garment is removed, and it is clothed in a pure, clean,
spiritual garment. It is thus written, "Remove the soiled garments... and you shall be
clothed in fine robes" (Zachariah 3:4); these "fine robes" are none other than the
"rabbinical mantle" [in Aramaic, "chaluka d'rabbanan", or spiritual energy body with which
the soul is clothed when it enters the Garden of Eden].

Just as a tailor makes a suit of clothes to fit a person's physique, so did the Holy One blessed-be-
He make the body as a garment to clothe the soul. And just as a suit is cut and tailored according
to the exact proportions of a person's limbs, so did the Holy One make the body according to the
pattern of the soul. The body thus has 248 organs/limbs, along with 365 blood vessels which
connect them and transport life-giving blood from one to the other, similar to a system of pipes.

With regard to the body, the verse states, "Let us make…" [indicating the level of Asiya].
For, indeed, the body is made from materials provided by the physical world. The same is
[partially] true of angels. When they descend to our lower world, they too must "dress up"
in a body that conforms to the laws of this material plane.

Concerning the ability of angels to "dress up" in a physical form, the Zohar states: "It has been
established: These [angels are able to exist in this world because they] appear to humans in
human form. And if you should ask: How do they transform themselves thus? They
transform through many colors [energy frequencies]. When they are ready to actually
descend, they dress up in [take on the molecular structure of] the earth's atmosphere, and
they appear as humans." (Zohar I:58a)

In another place, the Zohar makes an important connection between the way angels descend into
our world and the way that we (our souls) ascend into the spiritual dimension: "[At the moment
of death] the spirit [Ruach] separates [and divests itself] of the lower soul [Nefesh] in order to
[rise up and] enter the lowest level of the Garden of Eden [the world of Yetzira]. There it
'clothes' itself in the atmosphere of that Garden, in exactly the opposite manner that the
supernal angels 'clothe' themselves in physicality when they descend to this world." (Zohar
I:81a) The soul…dresses up in the atmosphere of the worlds…

These angels are of the level of Ruach [the world of Yetzira] about whom it is written, "He
makes His Messenger-Angels Spirits" (Ps. 104:4). This means that He makes the Messenger-
Angels of Yetzira descend to the world of Asiya-Action [the physical world] as messengers.
The Ruach-Spirit of Man, on the other hand, goes up from the physical world to the lowest
level of the Garden of Eden and 'wears' the garb of that dimension. She [the soul] is refined
there and has tremendous pleasure...

This is why the three angels who visited Abraham appeared to eat.

The Zohar (I:102a), Talmud (Bava Metzia 86b), and Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 48:14; Shemot
Rabba 47:5) all cite the famous teaching that, "One should never deviate from the customs of the
place he visits" (the Jewish equivalent of: "When in Rome do as the Romans"). Concerning
Moses, it is written, "He remained there with G-d [on the mountain] for 40 days and 40 nights
without eating bread or drinking water" (Ex. 34:28), and "I remained on the mountain 40 days
and 40 nights, without eating food or drinking water" (Deut. 9:9). The Midrash asks: Is it possible
for a human being to go without food and drink for so long [and not die]? Rather, Moshe went up
to heaven where there is no food, so he did not eat. [The Midrash adds at the end of 47:5: So how
did he survive if he didn't eat? He was nourished by the radiance of the Divine Presence. And do
not be surprised. For the Angels above that carry the Divine Throne are similarly nourished from
the radiance of the Divine Presence.] Conversely, when the angels descended to Abraham, they
seemed to eat and drink, as it is written, "He stood over them and they ate under the tree" (Gen.
18:8). The Midrash and Zohar both exclaim: Do you think that those supernal beings really ate?
It only seemed that they were eating! Since angels are fire, the food was consumed as they put it
in their mouths. All the while it seemed that they were eating like normal humans.

The same is true of the soul of Man. [In order to be born] it must dress up in the atmosphere
of this-world.

This explains, as well, why the verse is spoken in the plural, "Let us make…." The soul is
from the Blessed One. [In order to be born] it descends and dresses up in the atmosphere of
the worlds [or actually dresses "down" in and through the various atmospheres of each lower
world/dimension, each of which contributes another garment which the soul dons as it
approaches our gross physical plane of existence].

[Speaking to these various levels and their angelic inhabitants, G-d] thus says, "Let us make a
garment for man, i.e. the soul, with which he will be able to descend into the dimension of
Asiya". Man will then be "in our image" [in Hebrew, "be'tzalmenu", from the word "Tzelem"],
referring to the spiritual image of the angels, and "in our likeness" [in Hebrew,
"ki'demutenu"], referring to the physical garments within which they [the angels] clothe
themselves when they enter the atmosphere of this world.
We thus see that Man consists of two aspects: Adam Elyon, Superior Man - the soul, and Adam
Tachton, Inferior Man - the body.

[Translation and commentary by Avraham Sutton; Likutei Torah (Chumash HaAri, Bereishit, p.
6)]

Blood Brothers, Soul Brothers

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

Based on the fact that the soul clothes itself within the body [see Anatomy of Creation], we
can understand the meaning of another enigmatically worded verse, "If the blood of the
man shall be spilled by a man, his [the second man's] blood shall be spilled, for in the image
of G-d He made man." (Gen. 9:6)

The Ari re-reads the first half of this verse to refer to the soul and the body:

"If the blood of the man…by a man " refers to the blood [ i.e. Nefesh)] of The Man [the
Superior Man - Adam Tachton] by a man [which inhabits the Inferior Man - Adam Elyon]. For it
is known that the blood is the Nefesh.

In the Torah, the reason given for the prohibition against eating/drinking the blood of any animal
is, "For the soul of all flesh is [in] its blood" (Lev. 17:14). In another place, it is written, "For the
blood is the soul" (Deut. 12:23). In every case connected with blood, the word that is used for
"soul" is by a man.

The same applies to man. Man's Nefesh is said either to be his blood, or in his blood. One way or
the other, the Nefesh is directly associated with the blood. Nefesh, as known, is the lowest aspect
of the five levels of the soul; the aspect that "comes to rest" (in Hebrew, "nafash") in the body.
Nefesh is thus the link between all the higher aspects of the soul, and the body. Man…is a
combination of two completely diverse and dissimilar elements, namely, the body and soul…

In Derech Hashem (3:1:1), the Ramchal writes:

Man is different from any other creature. He is a combination of two completely diverse
and dissimilar elements, namely, the body and soul [Neshama]. [When we speak of man's
soul, however, we are actually speaking of two different things.] One type of soul [Nefesh] that
man has is the same that exists in all living creatures. It is this [animal] soul that is
responsible for man's natural feelings and intelligence…

In addition, there exists in man a spiritual entity that is very different and much higher
[than this animal soul]. The only reason that this entity becomes part of man is to bind him to
the Highest Roots… It is through this spiritual entity that the influence bestowed upon man
from the Highest Sources is transmitted. From the divine soul, this influence is transmitted
to the animal soul, and then to the body.

The Nefesh Elyona [supernal divine soul] directs the Nefesh Tachtona [the lower, animal soul]
and through it, performs its necessary functions… The divine soul is bound to the animal
soul, which in turn, is linked to the most ethereal aspect of the blood. In this manner, the
body and the two souls are bound together [in a chain].

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan comments on the statement, "The divine soul is bound to the animal soul,
which in turn, is linked to the most ethereal aspect of the blood." He writes: When one man kills
another, the main damage done is to the second man's body…

Rabbeinu Bachya on Leviticus 17:11 writes that this refers to the last revi'it of blood in the body
[a revi'it is a quarter of a biblical lug, i.e. approximately 3 oz.]. In Sota 5a, s.v. Adam, Rashi
writes that this is the minimal amount of blood with which a person can live, while Tosafot writes
that this is the amount of blood in the heart. A third opinion is that of Rambam on Mishnayot
Ohalot 2:2; he writes that this is the amount of blood with which a person is born.

The most significant explanation is that of the Ari in Etz Chaim 42:1. He explains there that this
"revi'it of blood" refers to the highest element of the blood, namely, the "essence life-force of the
brain", which, in effect, is the interface between the spiritual [divine soul] and the physical
[body].

We can understand this on the basis of other statements found in Etz Chaim. The nerves, as well
as the veins and arteries, are said to contain the most refined fraction of the "blood" (Etz Chaim
20:5, 40:12, 41:1). The only thing that flows through the nerves, however, is the neural impulses,
and therefore these impulses must be considered the most refined fraction of the "blood". This, of
course, is the "essence life-force of the brain" mentioned above, since all mental activity depends
on neurological impulses. According to this, the "animal soul"… depends on this "blood,"
namely, the neurological processes. This is the meaning of the statement, "the soul is [in] the
blood." The reason for the prohibition against eating all blood would then also be because this
neurological activity directly depends on the blood for sustenance (Aryeh Kaplan, notes to
Derech Hashem, Part Three, note 3, p. 347).

Rabbi Chaim Vital continues:

The verse informs us that, when one man kills another, the main damage done is to the
second man's body. The reason for this is now given, "For in the Tzelem Elo-him [image of
G-d] He made man." Unlike Gen. 1:26, where Tzelem and Demut are both mentioned, the
verse mentions Tzelem ["image", which is associated with the soul] but not Demut ["likeness",
which is associated with the body]. This comes to tell us that the main punishment for
manslaughter is for the evil and damage that is inflicted on the victim's soul.

[But this itself could lead to a mistaken understanding.] A man-slaughterer might mistakenly
think that, by killing his victim's physical body, he is thereby doing a favor for his soul.
After all, he is releasing it from its dungeon! The soul…yearns constantly to rise up [and
return] to her Father's house…
For, indeed, the soul is a "portion of G-d from on high" (Job 31:2). She therefore yearns
constantly to rise up [and return] to her Father's house. [Until then] she is dejected, for she is
forced to inhabit a material body. If so, the man-slaughterer concludes, he should be
rewarded [for releasing her], not punished!

But the Torah has already provided an answer to this distorted view of reality. "For in the
image [Tzelem] of G-d"; this is [again] none other than the spiritual aspect of man, his soul,
i.e. "He made man" - the physical aspect, the Asiya-body. For, as we explained, when the
soul descends, it dresses up in the atmosphere of this world [which is none other than the
body of Asiya].

This makes harming the body tantamount to harming the soul.

[Now, it is known that the descent of] the Shechina into this lower dimension is for a very
exalted purpose [i.e. for the eventual elevation of all the worlds back into divinity]. [As such, it
is the divine parallel of the soul's descent into the body.] For the Shechina is none other than
the G-dly Presence that wishes to [reveal itself and] dwell in all its glory in our physical
world.

This last phrase is borrowed from the second half of the verse, "His deliverance is surely near for
those who fear Him; the time is close when He will cause the radiant glory of His indwelling
presence to be revealed in our land". (Psalms 85:10)

On the other hand, it is known that one who worships idolatry causes the Shechina to
depart from Israel, leaving this world like a dead body [without a soul]. Causing a man's soul
to depart and to leave this world is tantamount to causing the Shechina to depart from Israel…

The man-slaughterer's sin is exactly the same. Causing a man's soul to depart and to leave this
world is tantamount to causing the Shechina to depart from Israel. Why? "For in the image of G-
d, He made man." Thus, just as one who causes the Shechina to depart is deserving of
punishment, so also, is one who has caused the soul of a man (which is a portion of G-d on high)
to depart is deserving of punishment.

I have found two sources for the above parallels. First, Yevamot 63b:

We have a tradition: If one does not [marry and thus] try to fulfill the command to "be
fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:28, 9:7), it is as if he has spilled blood [i.e. committed
manslaughter]. It is thus written, "If the blood of a man shall be spilled by a man, his [the
second man's] blood shall be spilled, for in the image of G-d, He made man" (ibid. 9:6).
Immediately following this, it is written, "You shall therefore be fruitful and multiply…"
(ibid. 9:7)

Rabbi Yaacov explained: It is as if he diminished [G-d's] presence [in the world], as it is

written, "For in the image of G-d, He made man," which is immediately followed by, "You
shall therefore be fruitful and multiply" [i.e. not only to replace one human soul for another,
but to replenish the quantum of G-dliness in the world that was depleted by the loss of human
life]… When Cain killed Abel, the Shechina departed and went up to the 2nd firmament…

Our rabbis have taught us: It is written, "When it [the Ark] came to rest, he [Moses] said,
'Return, G-d, [to rest Your presence on] the ten thousands of Israel's thousands" (Num.
10:36). We learn from here that the Shechina does not rest on less than a minimum of two
ten-thousands (20,000) plus two thousands (2,000) (= 22,000). If, therefore, there were
21,999 Jews, and such a person desisted from having children, hasn't he thereby caused the
Shechina to depart from Israel!

Abba Chanan said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: It is written [concerning Nadav and Abihu],
"They had no children" (Num. 3:4). Behold, if they had had children, they wouldn't have
died!

Others say: [Where do we learn that one who doesn't have children] causes the Shechina to
depart from Israel? It is written [concerning Abraham], "I [G-d] will uphold My covenant
between Me and between you and your descendants after you throughout their generations,
an eternal covenant. I will be G-d to you and to your offspring after you" (Gen. 17:7).
When you have offspring, the Shechina rests [on you]. When you have no offspring, upon
whom shall the Shechina rest? On trees and rocks?!

The main source for the concept of departure of the Divine Presence from the world is found in
Bereishit Rabba 19:6. There, it is recorded that, when Adam sinned, the Shechina went up and
departed from the earth plane to the 1st Firmament. This means that the consciousness of G-
dliness became occluded and hidden from men's minds. In the generations that followed, the
Shechina made six additional major "departures." The Midrash enumerates all seven stages of
this occlusion process:

Rabbi Abba bar Cahana said: It is written, "They heard G-d's voice moving about in the
Garden" (Gen. 3:8). The word [translated as] "moving about" is "mit'halech", a reflexive
form of the verb "to walk", indicating that the Shechina, which was meant to dwell below,
was now departing and going up in leaps and bounds. Once Adam had sinned, the Shechina
departed to the 1st firmament. When Cain killed Abel, the Shechina departed and went up
to the 2nd firmament. When men began to worship idolatry during the generation of
Enosh, the Shechina departed to the 3rd Firmament. The sins of the generation of the Flood
caused the Shechina to depart to the 4th Firmament. The sins of the generation of the
Tower of Babel caused the Shechina to depart to the 5th Firmament. The sins of the
Sodomites caused the Shechina to depart to the 6th Firmament. The sins of the Egyptians in
the days of Abraham caused the Shechina to depart to the 7th Firmament.

[Translation and commentary by Avraham Sutton; Likutei Torah (Chumash HaAri, Bereishit, p.
6)]

Four Aspects of the Emanated

There is an Emanator and an emanated
By Rabbi Chaim Vital; translated and adapted by Shabtai Teicher

The emanated is composed of four basic elements: fire, air, water, and earth. They are the four
letters of the Holy Ineffable Name (Yud, Hei, Vav, Hei). They are Chochma and Bina, Tiferet and
Malchut. They are ta'amim (the canticle musical notes), nekudot (the vowel points), tagin
(crowns drawn on the top of certain letters in the Torah) and otiot (letters). They correspond to
Atzilut, Beriya, Yetzira and Asiya. They are the four aspects of Man.

The first aspect is the internal Man consisting of his spiritual element of soul - the NaRNaCh
(Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya). The second is the body. The third is the clothing on the body.
The fourth is the house. The Man and his body and his clothes dwell within the house.

Each of these aspects consists of four aspects, and they are as follows:

The first aspect, which is the spiritual part of Man, consists of: Neshama of the Neshama (i.e.,
Chaya) Neshama Ruach Nefesh.

The second aspect, which is the body, consists of the bones with the brain marrow that is within
them, the sinews, the flesh, the skin.

Concerning this there is a verse (Job 10:11): "You have dressed me with skin and flesh, and with
bones and sinews you have covered me."

The third aspect, which is the garments, consists of those four garments that must be worn by the
priests when they are serving in the Temple. They are: Shirt, Pants, Hat, Belt.

The additional four that are worn by the High Priest are higher aspects from another world, as the
Zohar explained. One set of four are the garments of the holy name AdoNoY, and one set of four
are the garments of the holy, Ineffable Name, YHVH. Essentially, there are only four.

The fourth aspect, which is the house, consists of the House, the Courtyard, the Field, the
Wilderness.

An Intermediary Aspect

In each of these four cases there is another (a fifth) aspect that includes all of the subsequent
particulars; it is an intermediary between one general category and another, and it includes both
of them.

For example, the natural philosophers say that intermediary between the Mineral and Plant
kingdoms is the coral (also called "almogim"). Coral is rock, but it grows like a plant.
The intermediate between the Plant and Animal kingdoms is a creature called the Adney Sadeh
described by the Mishnah Kela'im (8:5). It looks like a dog, but it grows from the ground, and it
is rooted in the ground by a sort of umbilical cord from whence it gets its nourishment. If you
would cut this cord it would die.

Intermediate between the animal and the human is the monkey.

It may well be that this creature is not known these days to botanists or zoologists. Nevertheless,
it is described by the Mishnah, which is a legalistic text and does not deal with mythical
creatures. Therefore, it must be assumed that the Adney Sadeh did exist at one time, and the
rabbis of the Talmud were familiar with it, even if it has become extinct in our world. Thus, the
Mishnah as a source legitimizes the Ari’s exposition here.

Intermediate between the animal and the human is the monkey.

Four Aspects in the Analogy of Man

Similarly, there is an aspect that is an intermediate between the Creator, may His Name be
blessed, and the [human] creatures. All the spiritual elements of Man are included in this aspect,
about which it is said, "You are children of the Lord your G-d" (Deut. 11:1), and "I said that you
are G-d" (Psalms 82:6). It has also been said about it (Genesis 17:22 and Midrash Rabbah,
Genesis 47): "G-d arose from upon Abraham", and our sages have said, "The patriarchs were the
vehicle". The intention here is to refer to a very small spark that is an aspect of G-dliness. It
derives from the last place in G-dliness, and it is ensconced within another potency or spark that
is a created being, and it is a very, very subtle soul. In this spark, which is called Yechidah, are
the roots of the four spiritual elements of NaRNaCh (Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya).

Between the spiritual soul and the body is an aspect that includes elements of both general
categories. It is the revi'it dam.

The revi'it dam is, simply, a portion of blood. This portion is called a revi'it, which means a
fourth. It is the fourth part of a loge (about 0.125 liter). When this amount of blood spurts forth
from an animal that has been slaughtered, then the animal is considered dead. The Ari does not
consider the revi'it dam as a mere amount, but as a specific aspect of blood that contains the life
force or nefesh of the animal, as is written: "…Because the blood is the nefesh (life-force)" (Deut.
12:23).

It contains the last spark of the Nefesh, which is the fourth part of the Nefesh, or the Nefesh of the
Nefesh, and that is why it is called "the fourth". This spark is ensconced within a portion of blood,
the revi'it dam, and becomes one with it, as it is written, "The blood is the Nefesh…" which was
talking about this specific revi'it dam. It is the choicest of all the four aspects of the body whose
every part is subdivided into four. It is the first of the four and the highest aspect of the brain
marrow within the bones. Ensconced within it is the life force in the blood that spreads out from
there to sustain the body. The roots of all four aspects of the body are contained within this
superior revi'it dam. Thus, it is intermediate between the soul and the body, and it is comprised
from elements of both of them.
In other words, as we shall soon see more clearly, the intermediate is an extension of the lowest
aspect of the higher category (in this case, the soul), and it is the highest aspect of the lower
category (the body). Also, it contains the root of all the aspects of the lower category that will
come after it.

Similarly, between the second aspect [the body] and the third [the clothing] is an intermediate
aspect -- the hair and fingernails of Man. As is known, [the fingernails] were the garments of
Adam, the First Man, in the beginning. They are joined to the skin [the last aspect of the body],
and they are very similar to the body of Man. When hair is removed from the body it can be made
into garments, as is done with the wool of sheep and goats, etc. Not only that, but even when they
are on the body they are similar to garments, as the hair of animals is their clothing. This is an
indication that the garment of Adam, the First Man, was fingernail material. We also find that it
was the clothing of Nebuchadnezzar, as it is written: "…Until his hairs were grown like eagle's
feathers, and his nails like bird's claws." (Daniel 4:30)

Thus, hair, and according to Chazal, fingernail material as well, is intermediate between the
general categories of the body and the garments; and they participate in both categories as well.
They are part of the body, and they can be made into garments.

In the same way, between the aspect of garments and the aspect of the house are tents. They are
made from wool and flax, which are aspects of garments, and they also serve as aspects of
houses. (This aspect of tents needs further inquiry, for there may be another thing involved in it.)

Above Chochma: the huili, Keter

Now, after examining the allegory [of the world of Man], we will return to talk about the supernal
worlds, which are the allegorized. They are none other than the four elements, the four Letters of
the Tetragrammaton, the four sefirot -- chochma and bina, tiferet and malchut.

Chochma is the first of the four. It follows, therefore, that chochma is called reishit. The Hebrew
word for "the first" is reishit.

Indeed, reishit is the first word of the Torah that starts "In the beginning…" or "At first". In
Hebrew the phrase is "be-raysheet". The prefix "be" simply means "in" or "with". Also, the
"official" Aramaic translation of the Bible, the Targum Yonatan, written by one of the great
rabbis of the Talmudic period, R' Yonatan ben Uziel, translates the Hebrew word "be-raysheet"
as "be-chochma", - with chochma, or in chochma.

And the earth was empty and void (tohu ve-bohu)...

Now, since chochma is reishit, the first…

You can understand why keter is a supernal aspect and yet not really part of the world to which it
is the crown, similar to the crown of a king that is above his head and not part of his head.
Accordingly, keter is not included as a sefira of the world, and in its place we count daat-
knowledge, as stated in the Sefer Yetzira. Nevertheless, there are times when we do count keter as
one of the ten sefirot. The entire matter may be understood from what has been explained
beforehand in the name of the natural philosophers. There is an intermediary between each of the
aspects.

The same idea was introduced by Ramban (R’ Moshe ben Nachman) in his commentary to the
beginning of the verse, "And the earth was empty and void (tohu ve-bohu)..." (Genesis 1:2). He
wrote, in the name of Sefer Habahir, that before the four elements were created there was created
a primal matter called [in Greek] the "huili". It is something that is prepared to take on the shapes
of the four elements afterwards, but at first it is without any shape or distinction whatsoever.
Since it is before the tohu (emptiness) it is called efes (zero), or nothingness, as it is written, "…
They are accounted to him less than nothing and emptiness" (Isaiah 40:17).

We see from the verse that "nothing", the efes, comes before "emptiness", the tohu.

Furthermore, the Hebrew word for "grasping" (nitfas) is always used for intellectual
comprehension and perception. According to the Ari, the word efes - zero - nothing is derived
from the same root because nothing can grasp it, as it says in the Zohar, "No thought can take
hold whatsoever of You".

The idea is as follows. The Infinite is also called Nothing (Efes-Zero) because nothing can grasp
it. It has no substance and no shape whatsoever. After it there came into existence the tohu
(emptiness), which is keter. After that there came into existence the bohu (void), which included
the four elements, chochma and bina, tiferet and malchut.

However, the Bohu is not yet raysheet, Chochma. As we will soon see, it is the second aspect of
Keter. It is not the four elements in actuality, but only in potential.

It has also been taught about the Bohu that the word is a combination of two other words: Bo,
which means “in it,” and Hu, which means, “it is.” Thus, the word itself means “It is in it,” which
is an indication that it is the first to assume the shape of the four elements, at least potentially, and
within it, so to speak, is the Infinite Himself.

The Intermediary is Keter

How could one shine upon the other and how could one create the other since they are polar
opposites if it were not for an intermediary?

It is absolutely necessary that there should be an intermediate level between the Emanator and the
emanated because they are distant from each other as far as can be, more than between heaven to
earth. How could one shine upon the other and how could one create the other since they are
polar opposites if it were not for an intermediary that is close to the Emanator and close to the
emanated, and joins them. This intermediary is keter, which is called tohu-emptiness. There is no
element within it, and it is only indicated in the Holy Ineffable Name (YHVH) by the crown on
the top of the first letter, Yod. It is the intermediary.
When the scribe begins to draw he first puts the pen down on the blank parchment and makes a
dot. This dot is the crown of the first letter of the Ineffable Name, Yod. As such, it is intermediary
between the blank parchment and the beginning of the writing.

Comparable to keter is the primal matter called the huili that contains the root of the four
elements in potential and not in actuality. That is why it is called tohu….

Another meaning of the word Tohu derives from the root tavha, which means "astonishment".

It astonishes the mind of human beings because it does not contain any shape or form
whatsoever. Nevertheless, it is an emanation and contains the potential of the four elemental
shapes. Indeed, it is possible to call it Infinite and Emanator; and some of the kabbalists did say
that keter is the Infinite. It is also possible to call it emanated because the Infinite is certainly
greater than it. Consequently, the sages have warned us, "In things that are wondrous beyond
you, do not investigate" (Chagigah 13a).

Nevertheless, what can be said about it, ultimately, is that the keter is the intermediate aspect
between the Emanator and the emanated. It is the last possible aspect of the Infinite. It emanated
another aspect that contains the root of the ten sefirot greatly hidden and in great subtlety, and in
such a way that there can be among the emanated no greater subtlety than it. Above it, besides the
tohu, there is only the Absolute Nothingness.

Two Aspects of Keter -- Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin

Consequently, there are really two levels to this aspect. [The first] is the lowest aspect of the
Infinite, if it were possible to say such a thing. It is like the malchut of malchut (of the Ein Sof --
Infinite), although such a thing cannot really be said because there is no image or sefira
whatsoever in that place, and we only say so in order to use words that can reach the ear. This
level, the lowest of the Ein Sof, includes all of what exists above it by receiving from all of them,
as it is known in general, that every aspect of malchut receives from all the levels that are above
it. This level, the lowest of the Ein Sof, emanates another aspect that is the highest of all the
emanated. It contains the root of all the emanated, and it influences all of them. Thus, the smallest
aspect of the Emanator has emanated the greatest aspect of the emanated, and there is nothing
else between them. After this aspect of the Emanator there is no other aspect of the emanated
closer to it or more similar to it [than the second, lower aspect of keter].

Keter has an aspect that is applicable to the Ein Sof, and it has an aspect that is applicable to the
emanated. These two aspects are called, respectively, Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin, and both
together are called keter.

Both of these levels, together, are really one aspect called keter. By virtue of one of its aspects,
some kabbalists have called it Ein Sof, but other kabbalists, because of its second aspect, have
called it keter and accounted it in the number of the ten sefirot. Our opinion is like neither of
them. Rather, we consider it an intermediate aspect between the Ein Sof and the emanated. It has
an aspect that is applicable to the Ein Sof, and it has an aspect that is applicable to the emanated.
These two aspects are called, respectively, Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin, and both together are
called keter. Understand this well.
Along these lines it has been said in another place that within the "head", which is the keter, or
Arich Anpin, of Beriya, there is ensconced the malchut of the malchut of Atzilut. It is the Atik
Yomin of Beriya. Understand this well.

The word for 'I' is Ani whose letters are the same as those for the word Ayin, which means
'nothing'.

The rule is that the emanated has only four levels. They are the four letters of the Ineffable Holy
Name (YHVH). They are ABY''A (Atzilut, Beriya, Yetzira, Asiya), and they are chochmaand bina,
tiferet and malchut. That is why the Torah begins from "be-reishit", from "the beginning", and
[the sages said] "there is no reishit except chochma".

It was not said, "reishit is always chochma", but it was said in a negative way, "there is no reishit
except chochma".

The sages said it in a negative way to specifically exclude keter. There is an intermediary that
includes aspects of both the Emanator and the emanated. It is called keter. This keter includes all
of what was above it even though it is the smallest aspect of all of them and receives nourishment
from all of them. In turn, it is the root of all the ten sefirot of the emanated, and it influences all of
them.

Do not be surprised if we sometimes say that the ten sefirot of Atzilut divide into the four letters
of YHVH, and sometimes we say that they divide into five partzufim [arrangements of particular
configurations of sefirot]. When we say that they are four, we are counting only the actual
emanations, but when we say that they are five we are counting their root in the Emanator,
together with the emanated themselves.

You should also know that it is exactly the same with all the ten sefirot of each and every world,
and it is also the same in the details of each and every partzuf. Every higher aspect is called
Emanator relative to the aspect lower than it, which is called emanated. And the emanated is
always divisible into four letters, even in any one of its ten sefirot, or in any one of the ten sefirot
of any one of them. In each particular [no matter how detailed] there is an intermediate aspect
called keter. Understand this well; it is a key to understanding all the lessons.

It is also the meaning of the verse, "I am the first, and I am the last". Keter is the first, and it is the
last.

The word for "I" is Ani whose letters are the same as those for the word Ayin, which means
"nothing".

It is Ani, and it is Ayin. The malchut of the Emanator is its last aspect; it is called Ani, as is always
the case with malchut. In the aspect of root of the emanated it is keter, which is the first, and it is
called Ayin whose letters are the same as Ani.

[Adapted from Etz Chaim by Shabtai Teicher.]

Get Up, Luz Bones!
From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

In the beginning ["Bereishit"], G-d created the heavens and the earth…(Gen. 1:1) Just as
heaven and earth were "firsts" in terms of the Creation, so also are the soul and body "firsts" in
terms of man…

Humankind itself has an aspect of "heaven" and an aspect of "earth". This is slightly
different that what we said above [see Anatomy of the Creation]. For his soul is the spiritual
component of his makeup which parallels the heavens, and his body is the physical that
parallels the earth. Concerning these two, the first verse in the Torah says, "Bereishit",
meaning, there are "two" [the numerical value of the letter beit] things that are considered
"firsts/beginnings" [in Hebrew, "reishit"]. For just as heaven and earth were "firsts" in
terms of the Creation, so also are the soul and body "firsts" in terms of man.

This is why the verse contains seven words, paralleling the seventy years of a normal lifespan.

This is as the verse says, "The years of our lives number seventy, and if we are strong, eighty, but
the honor (we attain in our short lives) is wearisome and futile, [for the end] cuts us off swiftly
and [everything we have done] flies away". (Psalms 90:10)

The end of bodily existence is thus alluded to in the next verse, "And the earth [i.e. the body]
was formless and void, with darkness on the face of the depths. But the spirit of G-d [still]
hovers over the waters".(Gen. 1:2) Tohu indicates a state of amazement and disbelief.

For a man cannot believe what he sees when he beholds the appearance of his friend's body after
the latter has passed away. Just a short while ago, he was a young man, handsome and ruddy.
Now, after his death, mortification and gangrene have set in. The smell of decaying flesh fills the
air. This is a totally disorienting experience. Seeing such a sight, a person could conclude that all
hope is lost, G-d forbid: "After death, who could ever live again?" Death, which seems so final, is
thus only a form of sleep from which we will awaken…

But this is not so. For the soul hovers over the Luz bone (the bone at the top of the spine where
the knot of the tefillin rests) from the time a person dies until the final Resurrection of the Dead.
Death, which seems so final, is thus only a form of sleep from which we will awaken.

This is the meaning of the continuation of the verse, "…with darkness on the face of the
depths [in Hebrew, 'tehom']".(Gen. 1:2) The word "tehom" ["depths"] contains the same
letters as "hamavet" [meaning "death"].

Tehom: tav - hei - vav - mem

Hamavet: hei - mem - vav - tav

This indicates that a person who dies resembles one who sits in the dark, waiting for the
light to shine. And this is exactly what will happen, for the continuation of the verse states,
"…but the spirit of G-d [still] hovers over the waters."(Ibid.) This spirit of G-d is none
other than the soul that never abandons the body, for while the body was alive, the soul
dwelled within it and gave it life. If, at the moment of death, it would depart completely,
truly there would be no hope. All the bones, including the Luz bone, would rot and
decompose entirely. We are therefore informed that this is not the case. On the contrary,
the spirit of G-d, which is the soul, hovers over the bones. [Why, then does it say that the soul
hovers over the "waters"?] The waters here refer to the Torah that a person learned. In the
merit of that Torah, the soul continues to hover over the body. Just as water leaves the high
mountains and descends to the lowest valleys, so too does the Torah…

Concerning the fact that water symbolizes Torah, this is exactly what the sages say on the verse
"Oh, all you who are thirsty, come to the water!"(Isaiah 55:1) "Why is the Torah likened to
water? Just as water leaves the high mountains and descends to the lowest valleys, so too does the
Torah; it will only be found with someone who is humble and unassuming".(Taanit 7a)

Water can also refer to the Dew [in Hebrew, "tal"] of Resurrection, in which case the soul's
"hovering over the bones" would refer to its "waiting" impatiently for the 39 [numerical
value of "tal", meaning "dew"] Lights that will eventually shine into the bones. This is seen in
the verse regarding the "dew" with which the Holy One will resurrect the dead in the
future: "Your dead will live again. My [people's] corpses shall arise. Awake and sing, O you
who dwell in the dust! For Your dew is a dew of lights, and the earth shall cast forth the
dead [who rested in it]."(Isaiah 26:19) G-d will use the Luz bone to rebuild the newly resurrected
body…

For all the while that the body is decomposing in darkness, it awaits the illumination that it will
receive from that dew [tal]. When that happens, G-d will use the Luz bone to rebuild the newly
resurrected body. This is the meaning of the sages' statement that "the Luz bone remains intact
forever." (Zohar III:222a:)

Rebbe Shimon said… Come and see what is written [concerning the Resurrection of the
Dead]: "Remember, please, that You fashioned me like clay, and that You will return me to
the dust again"(Job 10:9). What is written immediately following this? "You will pour me
out like milk, and curdle me like cheese. You will clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me
together with bones and sinews"(ibid. 10:10). After a person's body decays in the ground,
and the time of the Resurrection of the Dead comes, the Holy One will take that bone that
remains and process it like dough, and like cheese is curdled from milk… That bone will
then be mixed with the remainder of the body [that has already decomposed and become dust].
[That bone] will then also become liquid like milk. It will then be curdled and given a form,
like cheese is curdled out of milk. Skin, flesh, sinew and bone will then be stretched over it.
This is the meaning of, "You will pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese…"
(Pirkey d'Rebbe Eliezer 34:)

Rabbi Shimon said: All bodies remain in the earth until all that remains of them is a
spoonful of decayed material. This becomes mixed with the dust of the earth, just like yeast
is placed in dough. In the Future, when the Holy One calls the earth to bring forth all
bodies, this dust will germinate in the earth, just like yeast germinates in dough. It will then
grow and bring forth the body without blemish.[Zohar 2:28b:]

Rabbi Chiya said: It is written, "Your dead will live again". (Isaiah 26:19) The Holy One
will thus not create new bodies for the dead in the future, but rather resurrect their original
bodies. For there is a single bone that remains of a person's body after it has decomposed in
the ground. That bone does not rot or decompose. It remains intact forever. When the time
comes [to resurrect the dead], the Holy One will soften that bone like yeast in dough. It will
then rise up and expand in four directions. From it, He will reconstitute the body and all its
limbs. Afterwards, the Holy One will infuse it with life.

Rabbi Elazar said to Rabbi Chiya: It is just so! And come and see: How will the Holy One
soften that bone? With dew, as it is written, "For Your dew is a dew of lights".[(ibid)Shaar
HaLikutim, Samuel I, 2:19:]

The highest level of the soul of the tzadik ascends to Atzilut; the Neshama itself ascends to the
Supernal Garden of Eden in Beriya; the Ruach ascends to the Earthly Garden of Eden in Yetzira;
while all the different aspects of the Nefesh (which itself is associated with Asiya), hover over the
interred body as long as the flesh has not decomposed from the bones. After the decomposition of
the flesh, even the Nefesh ascends to Earthly Garden of Eden. However, the lowest aspect of the
Nefesh called "vapor of the bones" ["hevlei d'garmi"] does remain in the grave, as explained in
Zohar, parashat Shelach.

[Regarding the different aspects of the Nefesh,] It is generally known that there are five levels
of soul [Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya and Yechida], and that each of these has five sub-
levels or aspects. For instance, the highest aspect of Nefesh is Yechida of Nefesh. After this
comes Chaya of Nefesh, Neshama of Nefesh, Ruach of Nefesh, and finally, Nefesh of Nefesh.
All of these aspects of the Nefesh are called by the general name Nefesh. It is the higher
aspects that ascend above after the decomposition of the flesh. The lower aspects, namely,
the "vapor of the bones" and the 288 sparks of holiness, stay below. These aspects will
remain with the residue of the bones until the Resurrection of the Dead…

Now behold, this "vapor of the bones" itself has two aspects: The inner aspect remains within the
residue of the bones, while the outer aspect hovers over the bones… This second aspect is alluded
to in the verse, "His soul mourns over him"(Job 14:22) - "over him" precisely - for long after
death, this aspect of the Nefesh continues to hover over the residue of the bones…

This, again, is why the Torah uses the word "bohu" [in the verse "And the earth was formless
and void - bohu…."(Gen. 1:2)]. In addition to meaning "void", it can be broken up into two
words, "bo" ["in it"]-"hu" ["he is"], referring to the miniscule amount of moisture that that
bone retains - just enough to keep it intact until it is used to create the new resurrected
body. Only the Torah that a person learned in this world illuminates the path before him…

Undoubtedly, the Luz bone could not retain even such a miniscule amount of moisture if
not for the soul hovering over it. This is clearly alluded to in the verse, "When you walk [in
this world in the way of the Torah], she [the soul] will guide you; when you lie down [in your
grave], she will guard over you; and when you awaken [for the resurrection], she will
converse with you". (Proverbs 6:22) That is, in the merit of the Torah that a person learns,
the soul hovers over the bones.

This is true even at the moment of death. This is because there is, in This World, a certain
path that is extremely dark. When a person passes away, the soul embarks on this dark
path. [If he did not learn Torah] the soul doesn't know which path to follow. Only the Torah
that a person learned in this world illuminates the path before him. This is the meaning of
the following verse, "For the mitzvah is a candle, and the Torah is light". (Proverbs 6:23)

This again is the meaning of "When you walk, she will guide you; when you lie down, she will
guard over you…." That is, in the merit of the Torah, the soul guards over the bones, keeping
them from rotting.

The protection spoken of here is specifically over the bones. The verse thus says, "Many
evils may strike the righteous man, but G-d delivers him from every single one. He protects
all his bones; not one of them [i.e. the Luz] is broken" (Psalms 34:20-21). The "one" special
bone that does not decompose is the Luz bone. In the merit of this, all the other bones will
stand.

For eventually, [all of them will stand] at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead. This is the
meaning of the verse, "And G-d said, 'Let there be light', and there was light". (Gen. 1:3)
This is the light with which the Holy One is going to resurrect the dead. Then, the dark
pallor that covered the face of the dead will be removed.

"And there was light".(Ibid.) This refers to the light that will shine after the Resurrection of
the Dead. For after the advent of the 7th Millennium, there will be no more darkness.
Rather, "Night will shine like the day"(Psalms 139:12) [and "It shall come to pass on that day
that there shall be neither bright light nor thick darkness. Rather, a day will come, it is known to
G-d, that is neither day nor night… at evening time there will be light"(Zachariah 14:6-7).] This
is the meaning of, "And it was evening and it was morning, Day One" (Gen. 1:5), [which can
be reread as: "In the future, night and day will both be considered 'day'."]

This also alludes to the fact that the darkness of death will also come to an end. This is the
meaning of the verse, "One who dies at age one-hundred will be considered a child" (Isaiah
65:20) [i.e. the general lifespan of humanity will be so long that a person who dies at age one-
hundred will be considered a child]. For Israel, however, there will be complete freedom from
death, as the verse attests, "Death will be swallowed up forever, and Lord G-d will wipe the
tears off every face. He will remove the insult against His people from the entire world. G-d,
the Merciful One, has declared". (Isaiah 25:8)

[Adapted by Avraham Sutton from Likutei Torah (Chumash HaAri, Bereishit, p. 6)]

The Beginning: Heaven or Earth?

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

In the beginning, Elo-him created the heavens and the earth... (Gen. 1:1)

The Torah begins with the letter beit [whose numerical value is 2] to inform us that two
things are called "Beginning" - namely the heavens and the earth. For just as the heavens
were created "first," so too was the earth!

We read in the Talmud (Chagiga 12a; according to Maharsha):

Beit Shamai maintains that the heavens were created first, and only afterwards the earth, as it is
written, "In the beginning Elo-him created the heavens [first] and [then] the earth" (Gen. 1:1).
Beit Hillel maintains that the earth was created first, and only afterwards the heavens, as it is
written, "On the day that Lord G-d made earth and heaven" (Gen. 2:4).

Beit Hillel challenged Beit Shamai: "According to your reasoning, a person [who wants to
build a two-story house] would first have to build the upper story, and only then complete
the ground floor. [That is impossible for a man to do; and it is even unlikely that G-d would
switch the natural order of things in such a way.] This is the meaning of the verse, 'Did He
build His upper chambers in the heavens, and [only then] establish His stairway on the
earth?!' (Amos 9:6)." [We must therefore say that the earth was established first, and only then
the heavens.] Heaven and earth…were created together like a pot and its cover…

Beit Shamai retorted to Beit Hillel: "According to your reasoning, a person makes a
footstool first, and then a chair upon which to sit. The following verse [indicates otherwise],
'Thus says G-d: The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool'. (Isaiah 66:1)."
[We must therefore say that the heavens preceded the earth.]

The Rabbis maintain that they [the heavens and earth] were created together, at the same
time, as it is written, "My hand has also founded the earth; and My right hand has
stretched forth the heavens. I [G-d] call to them, and they stand up together". (Isaiah 48:13)

The Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 1:15) adds:

Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai said: "Another verse helps prove Beit Hillel's position, 'Long ago, You
founded the earth', and afterwards, 'the heavens are the work of Your hands' (Psalms 102:26)".

Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of the sages: "In terms of [the entirety of] Creation, it is
clear that the heavens preceded the earth. In terms of [bringing the Creation to] completion,
it is clear that the earth preceded the heavens.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: I am surprised that those Fathers of the world, Shamai and
Hillel, argued over the [order of the] Creation of heaven and earth. Rather, in my opinion,
they were created together like a pot and its cover, as the verse attests, "I [G-d] call to them,
and they stand up together". (Isaiah 48:13)
Rabbi Chaim Vital now begins to explain the above "dispute":

In the first verse of the Torah, the heavens are mentioned first, while the earth is mentioned
second. The same is true of Gen. 2:4, where the first half of the verse states, "These are the
chronicles of the heavens and the earth when they were created."

Nevertheless, in the second half of that same verse, the order is reversed, and reads, "On the day
that G-d Elo-him made earth and heaven."

Similarly, it is written in Isaiah, "My hand has also founded the earth; and My right hand has
stretched forth the heavens" (Isaiah 48:13). Interestingly, the verse begins by saying "My hand
has also founded". This seems to indicate that the heavens were created first. Afterwards,
however, when it says "and My right hand has stretched forth the heavens", the prefix "and" of
"and My right hand" seems to indicate that this was done after something else, namely, after His
left hand founded the earth. Only after this did His right hand stretch forth the heavens.

In addition to there being numerous verses that seem to contradict each other; Isaiah 48:13 thus
seems to contain its own internal contradiction. In the universe of Beriya, the heavens preceded
the earth…

[In order to understand this properly, it is necessary to introduce an important distinction:] In the
universe of Beriya, the heavens preceded the earth. For in that dimension, holiness and
spirituality dominate. In the lower world of Asiya, on the other hand, the earth preceded the
heavens.

Beriya is the causal reality that lies above and behind the physical world that we perceive with
our senses. It corresponds to the 1st day of Creation when everything was still in potential. Asiya
["Action" "Completion"] is usually identified with the material dimension that is the end-product
of the entire creation process. By introducing this distinction, the Ari has shown that Beit Shamai
and Beit Hillel aren't really arguing - and teaches us to look deeper into the layers of reality that
lie behind and above our sense perceived world. In Asiya, physicality is more dominant…

This is the meaning of the statement [in the Midrash above by Rabbi Yochanan]: "In terms of
[the entirety of] Creation, it is clear that the heavens preceded the earth. In terms of
[bringing the Creation to] completion, it is clear that the earth preceded the heavens." In
Asiya, physicality is more dominant, for the entire intention of bringing the dimension of
Asiya into existence was to materialize [i.e. give form to] all [the subtle levels that preceded it].
The verse [Gen. 2:4] indicates this by placing "earth" before "heaven".

Accordingly, the first half of Gen. 2:4, "These are the chronicles of the heavens and the
earth when they were created," alludes to the dimension of Beriya [the world of Creation].
The second half, "On the day that G-d Elo-him made earth and heaven," alludes to the
dimension of Asiya [the world of Action or Making].
Similarly, in Isaiah 48:13, the first half of the verse refers to Beriya, in which heaven preceded
earth. This explains the addition of the word "also" in the first part of the verse, indicating that
something (i.e. heaven) preceded the founding of the earth, specifically in Beriya.

Conversely, the second half of the verse refers to Asiya in which earth preceded heaven. This
explains the prefix "and" of "and My right hand…" It indicates that, in Asiya, something else (i.e.
the founding of the earth) preceded the stretching forth of the heavens.

Translated and adapted by Avraham Sutton from Likutei Torah, "Chumash Ari" Bereishit, p. 6

The Ways of the World

By Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (from the Writings of the Ari as recorded by Rabbi Chaim Vital);
translation and commentary by Avraham Sutton

Paralleling the first yud of Havaya is the element of water - Abraham - chesed - South
Paralleling the hei of Havaya is element of fire - Isaac - harsh gevura - North
Paralleling the vav of Havaya is the element of air - Jacob - tiferet - East
Paralleling the final hei of Havaya is the element of dust/earth - David - lower Sefira (i.e.
soft) gevura [malchut] - West.
Name Element Patriarch Sefira Direction

Yud Water Abraham Chesed South

Hei Fire Isaac Gevura North

Vav Air Jacob Tiferet East

Hei Earth David Malchut West

The first hei, paralleling Isaac, is harsh judgment. It is for this reason that it [this hei]
appears twice in the Havaya. For the milui ["spelling out"] of this letter is hei-hei. That is,
[before the second hei is emanated as a separate power], it is merely the milui of the first hei. It
[didn't exist as a separate concept until it] emerged from [its state of concealment within] the
first hei.

This World was created with this smaller [second] hei. It is for this reason that the letter hei
in the word "be'hi'bar'am" - "…when they were created" (Gen. 2:4) is written small.

The phrase can also be interpreted: "in [the letter] hei He created them."

For, just as the milui is not recognizable [as a separate letter] when we pronounce a letter, so
also, in this milui, hei is subsumed in the first hei.
Essentially, Havayah has three main letters. The lower hei, corresponding to Earth, emerged from
the first hei, corresponding to Fire…

Correspondingly, the four elements are really only three: water, fire and air. For, similar to
ash [in Hebrew, "efer"], the element of Earth [in Hebrew, "afar" - like "efer"] is what is left
over after having been burned by fire. So also [in the spiritual root], the lower hei,
corresponding to Earth, emerged from the first hei, corresponding to Fire.

Corresponding to the 4 letters of Havayah, G-d also brought forth 4 worlds [universes,
dimensions]: ABY"A [Atzilut, Beriya, Yetzira, Asiya]. The intention in this was as follows:
[Based on the analogy of the sun as the source of energy for our solar system,] the Blessed Ein
Sof Himself, as the Ultimate Spiritual Energy Source, could make a material world only by
creating enormous distance. Only when He emerges to sit on His throne and govern His
kingdom does He reveal Himself…

Now, behold, in the dimension of Atzilut, there is no angel [of Yetzira] or Seraph [of Beriya].
There is only His Name. This can be likened to a king who sits alone [invisible] in his
innermost chamber. Only when He emerges [from his concealment] to sit on His throne and
govern His kingdom does He reveal Himself to His princes and servants.

[The king in his innermost chamber is the level of Atzilut. The throne is the level of Beriya.] The
princes are the level of Yetzira. The servants are the level of Asiya and all that is below
them.

The fact that He is called by a name [Havayah] in Atzilut already suggests a degree of limitation.
Above Atzilut, even this is forbidden.

According to the Kabbala, even the name Havayah is a limitation for He Who Is Beyond Any
Name and/or Appellation. Kabbala emphasizes that none of the names with which the Torah
describes G-d's interaction with us refer to G-d Himself. No, G-d Himself, for Whom even the
appellation Ein Sof (Endless One) is a limitation, Is Beyond All Name and/or Description. G-d's
names refer to the various ways He runs His universe and relates to us…

Rather, G-d's names refer to the various ways He runs His universe and relates to us. Look at any
verse in Scripture in which any of the Divine Names appear. According to Kabbala, none of these
Names refer to G-d Himself in any literal sense. That possibility simply does not exist by virtue
of the rule that G-d Is Beyond All Names.

Nevertheless, relative to all other divine names, the name Havayah is the root. The reason for this
might be that Havayah is not just a name, but a four-letter formula: yud, hei, vav and hei. As the
Kabbala teaches, this four-letter formula includes all divine names and modes in a total unity. All
other divine names are derivatives and specific aspects of this all-encompassing name.

Paralleling the universe of Atzilut, G-d thus said, "All was called [into existence] for My
Name's sake" (Isaiah 43:7). In Atzilut, it is possible to call Him by Name.
The entire verse reads: "All was called [into existence] for My Name's sake. For My Glory I have
created it, I have formed it, and I have also completed it" (Isaiah 43:7). According to the way the
Rav is reading it now, this verse speaks about the 4 worlds:

Atzilut: "All was called [into existence] for My Name's sake."

Beriya: " For My Glory I have created it…."

Yetzira: "…I have formed it…"

Asiya: "…I have also completed it."

After Atzilut, He created the universe of Beriya, which is called "World of the Throne". It is
there that He reveals Himself by way of "Hht'lab'shut" [i.e. the higher, ethereal level
"clothing itself" in the lower level]. This is the idea of the throne being His "glory", similar to
the way Rabbi Yochanan called his garments "my glory". This is why the verse says, "For
My Glory I have created it."

Now, if the world of Beriya would desire to exceed its own domain, by rising up and
entering into [or crossing the boundary between it and] the domain of Atzilut, it would
immediately be nullified and burnt [and cease to exist as a separate dimension; rather it would
be subsumed in the higher dimension from which it emerged]. It cannot exist except in its own
domain.

The same is true of Yetzira. If it would come too close to [the boundary of] Beriya, it would be
burnt and nullified. This is why the verse states, "I have formed it."

Regarding the world of Asiya, it then says, "I have also completed it." If His 'word' were too
revealed, it would have been impossible to bring a physical world into existence…

Clearly, the intention of emanating these 4 worlds was in order to hide Himself in one
garment after another, so that creatures in this lowest world could exist. This is the
meaning of the verses, "It is G-d's honor to hide a 'davar' [which can be translated as 'thing' or
'word']" (Proverbs 25:2), for "With the 'word' of G-d the heavens were made". If His
"word" were too revealed, it would have been impossible to bring a physical world into
existence. Only by concealing and hiding [the light], namely, the concealment of His words
in garment after garment, can the worlds be made and continue to exist.

And so it is with all created things in the world. Their names in the Holy Tongue [Hebrew] are
the very letters of G-d's 'speech' that descend, level by level, from the Ten Utterances of Creation
recorded in the Torah, by means of substitutions and transpositions of letters through the 231
Gates [of permutations], until they reach down and become clothed in that particular created
entity. [This gradual descent is necessary] because individual creatures are simply incapable of
receiving their life-force directly from the Ten Utterances of the Torah, for the life-force issuing
directly from them is far greater than the capacity of individual creatures to receive. They can
only receive it when it descends and [its power] is progressively diminished, step by step... until
it can be condensed and clothed [in a lower form], and finally bring into existence an individual
creature. The name that that creature is then called in the Holy Tongue is a conduit for the life-
force that is condensed into its letters....[Shaar Ha'yichud Ve'ha'emunah, chap. 1, p. 77a by Rabbi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi]

This is like fire that consumes everything that comes into close proximity with it. There are
certain things, like stones, that can come close, and not be burnt immediately. On the other hand,
straw and stubble would be burnt on the spot. However, if the straw and stubble are removed
from the immediate vicinity of the fire, they will not be burned on the spot.

[Translated and adapted by Avraham Sutton from Likutei Torah, Parashat Bereishit (Chumash
HaAri, Bereishit, p. 7-9)]

Honoring Parents
From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

Honor your father and your mother. You will then live long on the land that G-d your L-rd is
giving you. (Ex. 20:12)

These matters are those that a man eats their fruits in this world and their principal is retained for
him in the World to Come. And these are they: Honoring one's father and mother… (Shabbat
127a)

From the Arizal:

Behold the son that comes from the father, the son is an "effect" of the father, and the
father is the son's cause, who brought him into being. [Accordingly,] the effect is bound to
the cause that brought him into being…

This explains the reason for honoring parents, for no shefa (abundant spiritual energy)
from Above is drawn to the son, except through the means of the pathways [established by
his parents] and their agency, for he is their effect, as has been mentioned. Now this
explanation suffices when the souls of the parents and the children are from one [spiritual]
source.

Wisdom from our sages across the ages

Then they are above and he is below them, and needs them, in order to draw down his
abundant spiritual energy and life force by their agency. But, the majority of children, as is
known, are not from the same [spiritual] source [of their parents], for this one is from chesed
(kindness), and this one is from gevura (restraint) and their like. Particularly in the case of
reincarnated souls, the children do not have a [spiritual] lineage with their fathers in most
cases, and they do not have any [spiritual] lineage or closeness with the souls of their fathers,
or their mothers at all, in any essential way. And many times we find the opposite: a
despised man, and lowly in the extreme, fathers a completely righteous and great wise son,
whose soul is higher than that of his father 1000 levels. In such cases, why are the children
obligated to honor their parents?

From the father, chesed; from the mother, severity

But the secret of the matter is the following: Know that every soul is drawn from either the
chasadim or the gevurot in the daat of Zeir Anpin, and the soul has its own source there.
When a man unites with his soul mate, they draw down this soul here mentioned, and then
her father gives to her a small portion from the dimension of his chasadim (kindnesses) that
is in him, and they join with this new soul. The dimension from her father is made into
something like a garment for her, in order to guide her and assist her in this world, to fulfill
the mitzvot and be absorbed in the Torah. For since the infant is born small, how will it
know on its own to walk in the ways of Torah and the mitzvot, if not by the means of the
portion of the father's soul that assists, advises and guides him? And if this soul is new [i.e.
not a reincarnated soul], it is not habituated to this world and needs support to help, establish
and guide her. And if she is a reincarnated soul, she too requires help, for her original sins
prevent her to travel along the good way.

Similarly, the mother gives to this soul a portion from the gevurot (severities) that is in her,
making for her something like a garment. In this manner, whatever a person does in this world, a
portion of it an be linked to the father and the mother, for they are his helpers, guiding him in this
world, by the means of this garment with which they enclothed him, as mentioned. And even all
the shefa that is channeled to him from above, is drawn down only through this garment. (Gate of
the Commandments, parashat Yitro, pp. 33-34)

From the Talmud

The Rabbi's taught: There are three partners in a person's creation: The Holy One, blessed be He,
the father, and the mother. The father supplies implants the white substance, out of which are
formed the child's bones, sinews, nails, the brain, and the white in his eye. The mother supplies
the fluid of the red substance, from which is formed the skin, flesh, hair, blood and the black in
his eye; and the Holy One, blessed be He, gives the child the spirit and the soul, beauty of
features, eyesight, the power of hearing and the ability to speak and to walk, understanding and
discernment.(Nidda, 31a)

From the Ramak

We therefore ascribe the color red to the place of judgment (gevura), Furthermore, everything
that is red is derived from the power of this root…Likewise, the color white indicates kindness
and peace (chesed)… (Pardes Rimonim, Shaar Mahut Ve'hanaga)

Commentary:
Today, the path to honoring one's parents, for many, is a long one, filled with significant internal
obstacles. Many people have first to work through their anger and grief in relationship to their
upbringing before this commandment of the Torah can be integrated and lived in its fullest
expression. In order to honor one's parents one needs to have attained equanimity (hishtavut)
regarding one's past hurts and losses. When we can healthily detach from the ego and operate
from a perspective of soul then honoring one's parents, even if they are largely the same people
who hurt us, is nevertheless possible and even a liberating act. To love is to give, to be mature is
to love. In original cultures the transition from childhood to adulthood has always been related to
marriage, the quintessential forum for love. Likewise, with our parents, the transition of our role,
from that of primarily being receivers, to that of primarily being givers is a significant stage in
life. To love your parents is to honor them. The parent-child relationship is unequal. In its first
phase, the parents give to the child; in its later stage the child gives to the parents. In the middle
of this process there can be an exchange, but it is never between equals. In the absence of this
equality, love expresses itself partially as honor.

The Arizal's fundamental insight is that honoring one's parents is related to the development of
one's spirituality. To honor one's parents is, in essence, to recognize them, and this
acknowledgment facilitates for them the potential expansion of their soul. Honoring a person for
who they are allows more of who they are to come through. The Arizal is emphasizing that by
offering this sincere honor we expand our own soul, via the garment they have bequeathed us,
and is still connected to them. Thus we receive through our giving even more than they do
through their receiving.

Redeeming a Firstborn Son

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

Make holy to me every firstborn [male]that issues forth first [in Hebrew, "petter"]from the
womb among the children of Israel. In man and beast they are to be mine. (Ex. 13:2)

"Petter" [spelled pei=80, tet=9, reish=200, totaling 289] has a numerical value of 288 [in
gematria terminology, R'PaCh: reish=200, pei=80, chet=8, totaling 288] with the addition of 1
[a normal Kabbalistic hermeneutic known as the kollel]. And they [these 288] are the
judgments. For it is not possible for the womb to open without [an emission of] blood [a
physical manifestation of the supernal gevurot], and therefore the 288 Sparks fell [from the
supernal womb so to speak], and they are the masculine judgments.

There are [in actuality] 325 [shin=300, chaf =20, hei=5, totaling 325] masculine judgments,
the 288 together with the 32 Pathways and the 5 [final letters: mem, nun, tzadi, pei and chaf]
that sweeten them. These are the original firstborn [Olam Ha'nikudim] that went forth and
died [descended]. And there [above] went out a supernal kindness for their rectification [of
the fallen masculine judgments]. Therefore, the Priests enter in their [the firstborns'] place [in
the Temple service], like there [above] entered a supernal kindness, [which functions as] a
priest in the place of the 288, which are the firstborn [above]… (Likutei Torah of Arizal, Bo)
Kabbala, as a spiritual path, is about coming into harmony with the flow of the Divine Will…
In this revelation of the Arizal, we see very clearly the profound relationship of our humanly
performable commandments to the supernal correlates that they mirror. Ultimately, Kabbala, as a
spiritual path, is about coming into harmony with the flow of the Divine Will as it courses its way
through the supernal realms and into our own earthly planet and person.

We also start to detect a pattern from this teaching, that, in Kabbala, the firstborn is specifically
not the most balanced expression of Creation. This applies whether we look at the earlier creation
of the Olam Ha'nikudim where the Shattering of the Vessels took place or the Torah narratives in
the book of Genesis. In the latter, we clearly see a pattern of spiritual descent with the firstborn,
examples include: Cain, Ishmael, Esau and Reuben. The sefirot in the Olam Ha'nikudim
…were…the firstborn…

The organization of the sefirot in the Olam Ha'nikudim was the first instance where the sefirot
were organized as individual entities. (Etz Chaim p.145) Thus in this sense the Arizal considers
them firstborn, specifically as individual sefirot. In this position they were not prepared to receive
the light they were to be vessels for and thus descended. (Ibid.) By analogy, often the firstborn
inherits psychologically and spiritually more from the parents than they can integrate and thus
they fall later with G-d's help to reconstruct themselves. This is demonstrated as the Olam
Ha'nikudim received a rectification in the emanation of the Olam Ha'berudim. (Ibid. p. 267)

Two classical examples of a firstborn son being unable to handle what was received from the
father are Ishmael and Esau. Ishmael, as the firstborn of Abraham and Hagar (Gen. 16:4) was
unable to handle the expansive powers of Kindness he inherited from Abraham's soul. Thus,
Ishmael is associated with the negative quality of sexual promiscuity. (Zohar I:118a, Bereishit
Rabba 53:15) This is understood as the power of chesed, an expansive force in an unbalanced
container. The light overpowers the vessels and comes out in a distorted and fallen expression of
chesed.

Esau was the firstborn of Isaac and Rebecca (Gen. 25:25) and was the recipient of a tremendous
personal Power (gevura) from his father Isaac. Due to an unbalanced vessel however, that power
was not directed inward, in the effort of containing and transforming the self into a pure vessel
for the soul. Rather, it was distorted and became focused outward in violence. (Gen. 25:29, see
Rashi on Pesachim 54b, s.v. Bigdo and Bava Batra 16b) A new light…must come and make the
rectification…

In each case, we see the same essential pattern as that of the Olam Ha'nikudim. The light is too
powerful for the vessels and it causes a shattering, whether personal or supernal. Ultimately a
new light, sefirotic array, or son, must come and make the rectification.

It would be well for us as individuals to pay attention to our own firstborn thoughts, goals,
perceptions and choices and see to what extent do they conform to this negative dynamic of the
fallen firstborn. We could ask ourselves in what ways have we been overwhelmed and
imbalanced in life psychologically, spiritually or intellectually and we have fallen as a result. In
such instances, we need the light of a priest, the embodiment of wise kindness, to help us rectify
our often broken souls.
Here is an example of how this light/vessel dynamic works in our own psyche. Let us take the
intellectual power of discrimination. This is a fine trait, essential for life and spiritual practice.
However, if this quality is not appropriately channeled and tempered by other qualities of the soul
like humility and holiness one can G-d forbid fall into a judgmental and critical perspective of
others and or oneself. In this case one's vessel cannot contain the light and discrimination
becomes distorted and becomes expressed judgmentally.

It is not coincidence that the word for character trait in Hebrew is "midda", or "middot" in plural.
"Middot" also means a measure as in measuring weights. We need, after all, to measure the exact
amount of a quality and not let it become imbalanced on the scale of our life.

[Adapted by Zechariah Goldman.]

Anger Remedy No. 1

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

haar Ruach HaKodesh in the writings of the Ari, which contains (amongst other things)
numerous remedies (tikunim) for various sins, includes Remedy #13 (p. 18a in the standard
editions, p. 50 in the Brandwein edition), a rectification for anger:

The following is a remedy for someone who gets angry.

Anger betrays at least a temporary lapse in the individual's belief that G-d runs the world…

Even though there is no explicit prohibition against anger in the Torah, it is nonetheless
considered a most heinous sin, and the sages have even compared it to idolatry. This is because
anger betrays at least a temporary lapse in the individual's belief that G-d runs the world and is
responsible for every occurrence in life. For if G-d is responsible for everything, and everything
G-d does is good, how is it possible to get angry? It is only possible if the person feels, at least for
that moment, that he knows better than G-d what should be happening, and this is a subtle form
of idolatry. He is considering his own understanding of how the world should be running superior
to G-d's.

My master, of blessed memory, before he departed for the life of the World to Come,
wanted to teach all the members [of his following] a remedy for anger, but we did not merit
to do it, since, because of our numerous sins, I forgot the full explanation. The gist of the
matter, however, is this:

One should perform 151 fasts, corresponding to the numerical value of the word for
"anger" [in Hebrew, "ca'as, spelled caf-ayin-samech] plus 1 for the value of the word itself
[the kolel].
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi explains in the Tanya that all the fasts prescribed in the works of
Kabbala for rectifying various sins do not constitute the substance of repentance, sincere regret
for past deeds and resolve not to repeat them. Rather, they are intended, once the individual has
already repented and been forgiven for his sin, to purify the soul from the damage the sin caused
and to reinstate the individual in G-d's favor. Furthermore, these fasts are essentially not
practicable today since our constitutions are much weaker than those of previous generations.
Instead, we are to redeem these fasts by giving charity.

There are three types of vengeance alluded to in the story of Pinchas: "by avenging", "My
vengeance", and "I did not destroy the children of Israel in My vengeance". (Num. 25:11) During
the morning prayers, one should meditate on the divine name Eh-yeh as it is spelled out with the
letter hei, the numerical value of which is 151. During the afternoon prayers, one should meditate
on the name Eh-yeh squared, which also equals 151. During the evening prayers, one should
meditate on the divine names Ado-nai Elo-him, the combined numerical values of which equal
151.

Rectifying … involves tracing it back to its source in this divine name…

This is explained in Shaar HaPesukim, and its parallel passage in Likutei Torah.

The idiom "vengeance" is mentioned three times in the verse.

"G-d spoke to Moses, saying: Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, turned back
My anger against the children of Israel by avenging My vengeance against them. I therefore did
not destroy the children of Israel in My vengeance." (Ibid.)

[The numerical value of the root of this word, "vengeance", spelled kuf-nun-alef, is 151, and is
derived in three ways:] The numerical value of the divine name Eh-yeh, when spelled out
using the letter hei is 151.

As we have explained previously, the divine names may be spelled out in various ways,
depending on how the letters hei and vav are spelled. In the case of the name Eh-yeh (alef-hei-
yud-hei), if the two letters hei are spelled out hei-hei, we have:

alef 1

alef lamed 30

pei 80

hei hei 5
 hei 5

yud 10

yud vav 6

dalet 4

hei 5
hei
hei 5

. . 151

Spelling out ("milui" in Hebrew) signifies the fulfillment of latent potential, similar to the birth of
a fetus hidden within the womb. Thus, in a certain sense, anger is the psychological fulfillment of
the name Eh-yeh, and rectifying it involves tracing it back to its source in this divine name. This
will be explained further on.

Furthermore, the numerical of the name Eh-yeh squared is also 151.

If we take the sum of the squares of each of the four letters that compose this name, we have 1 2 +
52 + 102 + 52 = 1 + 25 + 100 + 25 = 151. This technique, called "ribua perati" ("individual
squaring"), signifies maturation and development, similar to the way a child matures (hopefully)
as he grows into an adult. This is because squaring a number makes that number inter-include all
its constituent units, and maturity means being able to see all sides of an issue and grant validity
to other people.

Finally, the combined numerical values of the names Elo-him and Ado-nai are 151.

Elo-him: alef-lamed-hei-yud-mem (1+30+5+10+40 = 86); Ado-nai: alef-nun-dalet-yud

(1+50+4+10 = 65). 65+86 = 151. The name Elo-him signifies G-d's attribute of judgment and
severity, while the name Ado-nai signifies His attribute of authority and dominion ("adon", in
Hebrew, means "master" or "ruler"). When these two divine attributes are combined, this also can
produce anger, and thus the rectification of anger involves as well tracing it back to these two
attributes in the soul, as will be explained further on.
These three aspects of vengeance are alluded to in the verse: "I descended to the garden of
nuts." (Songs 6:11) The numerical value of the word for "garden of" [in Hebrew "ginat",
gimel-nun-tav] is 453, which is 3 times 151.

In Kabbala, the nut symbolizes the phenomenon of evil surrounding holiness, just as the shells of
the nut surround the inner meat. Here, too, anger is a shell which must be discarded, and in so
doing one reveals the inner goodness of the soul.

This is the end of this passage in Shaar HaPesukim and its parallel passage in Likutei Torah.

(I am not sure if he told us to do it this way or oppositely, that is, to meditate on what is said
above regarding the evening prayers during the afternoon prayers and vice versa.)

By changing the vowels…one is filling the vessel with various types of light…

The way this is done is as follows. We shall explain with regard to how one meditates during
the morning prayers of the 151 fast days, and from this you will understand how to
meditate during the other prayers. On the first fast day, you should meditate [during the
morning prayers] on the letter alef. During the next thirty fast days, you should meditate
[during the morning prayers] on the letter lamed [whose numerical value is 30], this being the
second letter of the spelling-out of the letter alef [i.e., the first letter of the name Eh-yeh].
During the next eighty fast days, you should meditate [during the morning prayers] on the
letter pei [whose numerical value is 80], this being the third letter of the spelling-out of the
letter alef. In this way you should meditate [on the remaining letters of the spelling-out of the
name Eh-yeh] for the duration of the 151 fast days.

Schematically, this would look like this:

morning alef lamed pei hei hei yud vav dalet hei hei
prayer 1 30 80 5 5 10 6 4 5 5

afternoon alef hei yud hei

prayer 12 25 100 25

evening alef dalet nun yud alef lamed hei yud mem
prayer 1 4 50 10 1 30 5 10 40

I do not remember which vowels to use when meditating on these names.

Although every name of G-d has its natural vocalization, these names may be visualized as being
vocalized with other vowels (since, after all, one does not pronounce these names while
meditating on them, but merely visualizes and contemplates them). In Kabbala, the vowels
signify the light that fills the vessels (signified by the letters). By changing the vowels, then, one
is filling the vessel with various types of light.

I also do not remember at which exact point in the prayers one is to perform these meditations.
All I remember is that they are to be done during the prayers, as I said. If, however, one wishes to
meditate on these ideas throughout the whole day, so much the better.

In order to assuage anger, it is also effective to meditate - when one becomes angry - on the name
Eh-yeh spelled out with the letter hei. As mentioned above, the numerical value of this name is
the same as that of the word for "anger" [with the kolel].

From this remedy we see that prayer is an integral part of the process of rectifying anger.
Furthermore, all three aspects of anger must be addressed: the fulfillment of the name Eh-yeh, the
maturation of the name Eh-yeh, and the combination of the names Elo-him and Ado-nai.

Anger Remedy No. 2

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

Shaar Ruach HaKodesh in the writings of the Ari, which contains (amongst other things)
numerous remedies (tikunim) for various sins, includes Remedy #15 (p. 18b in the standard
editions, p. 50-52 in the Brandwein edition), a (second) rectification for anger:

Here is another way to remove anger when it overtakes a person, beside the remedy
mentioned previously. If a person meditates on what follows, the [aspect of the] evil
inclination that causes anger will be nullified. It will therefore be effective [in eliminating
anger] - unless, of course, the person willfully chooses to become angry.

The two names Ado-nai and Elo-him…signify the two types of courts: lenient and strict…

Let us first explain what anger is. As we explained above [Anger Remedy #1, click here], there
are three types [and derivations] of vengeance [in Hebrew, "kina", whose numerical value is
151]: the name Eh-yeh when spelled out with the letter hei, giving a numerical value of 151; the
combined numerical values of the names Ado-nai and Elo-him, which equal 151; and the square
of the name Eh-yeh, which equals 151. All these equal the numerical value of the word for
"anger" [in Hebrew, "ka'as"] plus 1 for the word as a whole.

We see from this that anger derives from the two names Ado-nai and Elo-him, which signify the
two types of courts: lenient and strict. When these two names are combined, anger issues from
them.

In other words, being judgmental (i.e., acting like a court) is the source of anger. The connection
between anger and the name Eh-yeh will be discussed presently. The name Elo-him signifies
strict judgment, and the name Ado-nai lenient judgment. In Kabbala, the name Elo-him is
associated chiefly with the sefira of gevura and the name Ado-nai with the sefira of malchut.
Judgment is obviously an essential aspect of both of these attributes. When allowed to get out of
hand, however, it degenerates into anger.

This is the mystical meaning of the verse: "for I, G-d your G-d, am a jealous G-d." (Ex. 20:5,
Deut. 5:9)

The italicized "G-d" is the translation of the name Havayah, which is read nowadays as the name
Ado-nai. The non-italicized "G-d" immediately following is the translation of the name Elo-him.
Thus, the combination of these two names makes G-d "a jealous G-d", exacting vengeance.

For anger derives from these two names, Ado-nai and Elo-him, whose combined numerical value
is 151.

This is also alluded to in the verse: "For anger rests in the bosom of fools." (Ecclesiastes 7:9) The
numerical value of the word for "in the bosom of" [in Hebrew, "becheik", spelled beit-chet-yud-
kuf] is 120, which is the number of permutations of the name Elo-him, from whence anger
derives.

The name Elo-him comprises five letters (alef-lamed-hei-yud-mem), and five letters produce 120
permutations: 5! = 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 120. The different permutations of this name indicate all
the various types of judgment.

Now, the word "becheik" comprises the letters of the word "Yabok" [spelled yud-beit-kuf]
together with the letter chet inserted in the middle.

The Yabok is a tributary of the Jordan river and…signifies the context of the struggle between
good and evil…

The Yabok is a tributary of the Jordan river and was the scene of Jacob's night-time encounter
with the angel of Esau (Genesis 32:23-33). As such, it signifies the context of the struggle
between good and evil.

The significance of this is that when the name Havayah is joined to the name Elo-him the
negativity of the name Elo-him is sweetened by the mercy of the name Havayah. The combined
numerical value of these names is that of "Yabok", which equals 112.

Just as the name Elo-him is associated with G-d's attribute of judgment, the name Havayah is
associated with His attribute of mercy. Judgment is not intrinsically negative, of course, since
proper discernment is necessary in order to recognize good and evil and separate them. Only
when judgment is allowed to overtake a person's consciousness does it become a negative force,
resulting eventually in anger. Therefore, care must always be taken to moderate and mitigate
judgment with mercy.

Through anger, the individual introduces the letter chet into this word…
This interplay between judgment and mercy may be seen as the struggle between Jacob and
Esau's angel (not Esau himself - for he is the personification of fallen judgement, i.e., anger and
violence - but his "angel" or spiritual origin). They are both legitimate, but Jacob (mercy) must
always retain the upper hand. This is why this struggle took place at the Yabok river, for as we
said, the numerical value of Yabok is 112, the sum of the numerical values of the name Havayah
(26) and Elo-him (86).

However, through anger, the individual introduces the letter chet into this word. The
numerical value of chet is 8, alluding to the eight kings of who ruled the land of Edom. [By
inserting them into the picture,] the individual causes the world to revert to chaos.

Edom is the kingdom of Esau, and thus signifies unmitigated judgment. As such, this kingdom
and the eight kings who ruled it (Genesis 36:31-39) express the energy of the world of Tohu
("chaos"), the order of creation that preceded the rectified order of Tikun or Atzilut. In this world,
the sefirot could not interact because they did not allow each other to enter each other's vessels.
In other words, they exhibited excessive severity, judgment, and self-centeredness. By exhibiting
anger, the individual causes the world to regress to this level.

This is the mystical meaning of the verse, "And the querulous man alienates his friend."
(Proverbs 16:29)

The word used for "friend" in this verse, "aluf", is the same as that for "chieftain", possibly
alluding to the chieftains of Edom (Genesis 36:15-19). The meaning would then be that an angry
person separates between people, causing the world to regress into the state of Tohu.

When the name Havayah is thus separated from the name Elo-him, this produces the state of
severe judgment, which in turn leads to anger. The root of this anger is in the 120 permutations of
the name Elo-him, which is the numerical value of the word "in the bosom of", as we have noted.

Now that we have explained the damage [caused by anger], we can explain the remedy. Since
anger causes the name Havayah to be dissociated from the name Elo-him, the remedy is to join
them together again.

This is done as follows: During the morning, afternoon, and evening prayers, when reciting the
first three blessings of the Standing Prayer, one should meditate on the following: When saying
"Blessed are You, O G-d" during the first blessing (Avot), one should, when saying the name
Havayah, meditate on the spelling of this name whose numerical value is 72, i.e., as it is spelled
out using the letter yud. He should also intend [in his mind] to unite this name with the name Eh-
yeh as it is spelled out using the letter yud.

When saying "Blessed are You, O G-d" during the second blessing (Gevurot), one should, when
saying the name Havayah, meditate on the spelling of this name whose numerical value is 63. He
should in addition intend to unite this name with the name Elo-him. This he does by visualizing
the name Havayah vocalized with the vowels of the name Elo-him.
The name Elo-him has three vowels (chataf-segol, cholam, chirik). These should be envisioned as
appearing together with the first three letters of the name Havayah. The second blessing of the
Standing Prayer is called Gevurot ("powers") since it discusses G-d's power and strength. The
name Havayah whose numerical value is 63 is associated with the sefira of bina. Inasmuch as
bina is the source of gevura, joining these two names in effect grants gevura an experience of its
source, or returns gevura to its source in bina.

As we said above, bina is the analysis through which the insight of chochma is processed. This
process entails evaluating one's preconceived notions and way of thinking in light of the new
insight, a process of judgment and severity, since old ideas that do not jibe with the new insight
will have to be rejected. Thus, bina is the source of gevura. However, it is always necessary to
keep gevura connected to its source in bina, so that it retains the "personality" of an objective
arbitrator rather than degenerating into an arbitrary despot.

When saying "Blessed are You, O G-d" during the third blessing (Kedushat HaShem), one
should, when saying the name Havayah, meditate on the spelling of this name whose numerical
value is 45, i.e., as it is spelled out using the letter alef. He should in addition intend to unite this
name with the name Ado-nai.

In the mikveh…he should meditate on the fact that the numerical value of the word "mikveh" is
the same as that of the word for "anger" and that of the name "Eh-yeh" spelled out with the letter
hei…

The name Havayah whose numerical value is 45 is associated with the concept of humility. The
numerical value of the word for "what" ("mah") is 45, and the question "what?" implies a humble
admission that one does not know everything. Moses, the humblest man on earth (see Num. 12:3)
said of himself and his brother Aaron, "What are we?," (Ex. 16:7,8) i.e., "we are, or personify, the
attribute of 'what.'"

This attribute is the essential compliment and inner dimension of the attribute of malchut,
sovereignty. This was exemplified by King David, the quintessential monarch, who declared of
himself, "I shall be lowly in my own estimation." (Samuel II, 6:22)

Thus, in the second and third blessings of the Standing Prayer, he has connected the name
Havayah with the names Elo-him and Ado-nai, which are the two powers of judgment from
which anger is numerically derived, as we have said. In this way, he has sweetened them by
associating them with the name Havayah.

The way to prevent anger is thus to ensure that one's power of judgement is always mitigated by
mercy. The third blessing of the Standing Prayer is called Kedushat HaShem ("the holiness of G-
d's name), for this is its subject.

In the first blessing of the Standing Prayer, he has also through his meditation sweetened the
source of these two powers of judgment, that is, the name Eh-yeh, from which anger also is
derived when it is spelled out with the letter hei, as we have mentioned. This name is sweetened
by the name Havayah spelled out to equal 72. Thus, all three aspects of anger have been rectified:
the root and its two branches.
To summarize:

Amidah
Name to be Name Havayah used to
rectified rectify it

first blessing (Avot) Eh-yeh (will & Havayah = 72 (wisdom in

understanding) mercy)

second blessing Elo-him (severity) Havayah = 63

(Gevurot) (understanding in mercy)

third blessing Ado-nai Havayah = 45 (humility in

(Kedushat HaShem) (sovereignty) mercy)

The Arizal makes another recommendation for insulating oneself from anger:

In addition, one should immerse in the mikveh twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays….
When he immerses, he should meditate on the fact that the numerical value of the word
"mikveh" [spelled mem-kuf-vav-heh, 151] is the same as that of the word for "anger" [ka'as,
150 plus the kolel] and that of the name "Eh-yeh" spelled out with the letter hei [151]. He
should intend through these immersions that the anger that overcomes him be nullified,
provided that he persists in immersing this way.

For another approach, also from the Ari, see Anger Remedy No. 1.

Washing Your Troubles Away

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

One of the laws regarding Grace After Meals is that of rinsing the hands before reciting the
blessings, known as "mayim acharonim", literally "after-waters".

Know that the "Other Side" hovers over the table, as is described in the Zohar (Zohar II:154a,b)
and can gain control over an individual more than it can at other times.
As described in the Zohar, eating and drinking by their nature bolster a person's material
orientation, thereby desensitizing him to spirituality and divinity. One is thus, after having eaten
his full, particularly susceptible to the power of evil.

This is particularly true if he has eaten by himself, and there are not three to recite Grace
together. For the Invitation to Recite Grace drives away Other Side from there, as is mentioned in
the Zohar (Zohar III:186b) regarding the incident of the young child.

According to Jewish law, if three or more men or three or more women have eaten bread
together, they must recite Grace together. One of the party acts as the leader and formally invites
the others to join him in reciting Grace. The positive energy generated by their camaraderie
overcomes the negative power of evil…

In the Zohar, it is recounted that the young, orphaned son of Rabbi Hamnuna the Elder possessed
great spiritual perception and mystical knowledge of the Torah. One of the teachings he shared
with his guests, two students of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, was that when the Invitation to Recite
Grace is recited, it weakens the power of evil present at the table.

The collective power of the three individuals' divine souls and the positive energy generated by
their camaraderie overcomes the negative power of evil. This occurs, however, only when they
consciously combine their individual energies together to recite Grace, that is, to focus on the
spiritual dimension of the meal rather than simply the sensual pleasure of eating. Hence the
power and importance of the Invitation to Recite Grace.

A person must therefore be very careful to have the proper intentions when rinsing his
fingertips after the meal, in order that [the Other Side] not prosecute him.

Whenever a person succumbs to the temptations of evil, the sin he performs acts as a
"prosecutor" against him in the heavenly court.

For by giving it this gift, as is known, the Other Side departs, leaving [the person alone]. In
the beginning [of the meal] it is just a guest, but if the individual does not recite Grace with
the proper intention and concentration it becomes the host and prosecutes against him. As
we said, this is particularly true if one dines by himself, without the [protection offered by
the] Invitation to Recite Grace.

Rinsing the remains of the meal off the fingertips is seen as "throwing the dog a bone." Evil
possesses no intrinsic power; it derives its power solely by virtue of man's misdeeds. However, it
must be present to at least some minimal extent in order for there to be free choice. If evil
receives this minimal sustenance, it is satisfied, and, realizing that it has nothing more to expect
from this meal, departs.

The mystical meaning of this statement is thus that when washing the fingertips after the meal
one must meditate on the name Eh-yeh.
Now, one should not make any interruption between rinsing the fingertips and reciting
Grace After Meals. I [Chaim Vital] was once with my master [the Ari] and someone came to
me and said that he had been suffering from severe shoulder pains for two days. My master
looked at him and said that this pain came from his having interrupted between rinsing the
fingertips and reciting Grace After Meals by studying a chapter of the Mishna. He thus
transgressed the instruction of our sages to proceed directly from the rinsing to the blessing.
(Berachot 42a) In so doing, he transmuted the word for "directly" [in Hebrew, "teikef",
spelled tav-kaf-pei] into the word for "shoulder" ["kateif", kaf-tav-pei] and he felt the pain
there. One must not make any interruption between the rinsing and the recital of Grace…

From this we see that one must not make any interruption between the rinsing and the
recital of Grace, even with words from the Torah. If one wishes to converse [at his table] in
the Torah, as our sages have said one should, he should do so before the rinsing of the
fingertips.

By not allowing any interruption between rinsing the fingertips and the recitation of Grace, the
individual demonstrates that they form one conceptual unit, that is, the spiritual meaning of the
former is also that of the latter.

Nonetheless, one should recite the following verses after rinsing the fingertips, before beginning
the Grace After Meals: the entire Psalm 67, and then the verse, "I will bless G-d at all times; His
praise is always in my mouth." (Psalms 34:2) This is because the Other Side hovers over the
table, as we have said, and it is called "at all times", as in the verse, "He must not come into the
sanctuary at all times." (Lev. 15:2) The person…is declaring his wish to orient his consciousness
toward the divine dimension of eating…

The Torah commands that the High Priest not enter the Holy of Holies whenever he wants ("at all
times"), but rather only on the day of Yom Kippur. In this context, the phrase "at all times" is
seen as something that prevents one from entering the realm of holiness, i.e., evil. Reciting the
verse "I will bless G-d at all times" is thus seen as a formula that neutralizes the power of evil
present at the table.

It is interesting to note that Yom Kippur, the one day when the Torah allows the High Priest to
enter the inner sanctum of the Temple, is a total fast day. On this day, of course, the evil that can
potentially become empowered through the process of eating is not operative.

In order to remove [the evil] from there [i.e. the table], one must recite [the Invitation to
Recite Grace, i.e.] "Bring us [the goblet] and we will bless", as is stated in the story of the
young child in the Zohar. We therefore recite the verse "I will bless G-d at all times…", in
case a person is eating by himself and cannot say "Bring us and we will bless".

One should then say: "Ultimately, all is known: fear G-d and observe His commandments, for
this is the whole purpose of man." (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Then, one should say: "My mouth will utter the praise of G-d, and let all flesh praise His holy
Name forever", (Psalms 145:21) "And we will bless G-d from now to all eternity. Praise G-d",
(Ibid. 115:18) and "And he said to me, this is the table that is before G-d". (Ezekiel 41:22)
[Note: In Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s formulation of the liturgy, all the above save this verse is
recited before rinsing the fingertips.]

Only then should he commence Grace After Meals.

The common denominator of all these verses is that the person saying them is declaring his wish
to orient his consciousness toward the divine dimension of eating rather than its worldly,
material, aspects. As such, these verses do not constitute a thematic interruption between the
rinsing of the fingertips and the recitation of Grace.

Translated and adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky from Shaar HaMitzvot, Ekev; subsequently
published in "Apples From the Orchard."

Reprinted with permission from Chabad of California. Copyright 2004 by Chabad of California,
Inc. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any
form, without permission, in writing, from Chabad of California, Inc.

Elevating the Flesh

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

[Rabbi Chaim Vital relates:] The following are the meditations my master [the Arizal] of sainted
memory taught to Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen, of blessed memory.

The Jewish people were given the commandment to slaughter animals according to specific rules
before eating their meat: "You must slaughter any of your herd or flock, which G-d has given you,
as I have commanded you. Only then may you eat [of them] in your gates as much as you desire."
(Deut. 12:21) Spiritualization of the physical flesh depends a great deal on the purity of thought
and intentions…

In contrast to an everyday butcher, the ritual slaughterer [called a "shochet" in Hebrew] in

Judaism is a position of great honor. In order to be a shochet, a person should ideally be of
exemplary character, a Torah scholar, pious, and G-d-fearing - in addition to being well-versed in
the laws of ritual slaughter and expert in their performance. This is because, as we will see, the
act of ritual slaughter - the first stage towards the eventual consumption of the flesh by the Jew -
is an intensely spiritual act, and the spiritualization of the physical flesh depends a great deal on
the purity of thought and intentions of the shochet.

As you know, regarding the mystical intentions one should have while eating, all creatures of this
world need to be rectified and refined. This is in order that they reach the spiritual level of the
primal matter of which they were made when the world was created.
The primordial sin, that of eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, caused a
spiritual fall in the ability of material creation to sustain spiritual consciousness. Our task in life is
to refine the physical world so that it can once again be receptive to this level of divine
awareness.

This [level of refinement] is similar to [that exemplified by] the donkey of Rabbi Pinchas ben
Yair.

Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair was a Talmudic sage. His donkey refused to eat untithed barley. (Chulin
7a) It happens many times that human souls are reincarnated into animals…

In addition, it happens many times that human souls are reincarnated into animals. If the animal
is slaughtered with the proper intentions, its helps extricate the reincarnated soul from the
punishment it is undergoing. It can then re-enter a human body the next time it enters this world,
as it was meant to originally.

There are thus two basic objectives of ritual slaughter: to elevate the spiritual nature of the
material animal flesh, and, in sporadic instances, to help the reincarnated soul finish its process of
rectification.

The mystical purpose of ritual slaughter, then, is to sweeten all the judgments.

Both the descent [i.e. de-spiritualization] of material reality and the rectification process of the
reincarnated soul are manifestations of G-d's attribute of judgment (which was invoked in the
first place by the sin or wrongdoing of man). Counteracting this attribute by spiritualizing reality
is called "sweetening" the judgment.

The first step of ritual slaughtering is preparing the knife. The knife must be perfectly smooth and
free of any nicks. The shochet must check the knife by running it gently over his thumbnail
before proceeding with the ritual slaughtering.

When you inspect the knife and sharpen it on the stone, your intention should be to remove all its
defects [i.e., nicks]. The numerical value of the word for "defect" [in Hebrew, "pagam", spelled
pei-gimel-mem] is [123] equivalent to three times the number of letters in the divine name Eh-yeh
when it is spelled in its simple form and two iterations of its spelling-out.

These [iterations of the name Eh-yeh] are thus all manifestations of the attribute of judgment; you
should intend to sweeten them.

The divine name Eh-yeh is associated with the sefira of bina. Whereas chochma is the pristine
experience of transcendent insight, bina is the analysis of the insight and its integration into the
pre-existing mental structures of the mind. The mental process of chochma is an experience of
wonder and openness, while that of bina is an experience of evaluation and judgment. Thus, the
name Eh-yeh is associated with judgment. Will it be slaughtered in order to…augment the
world's consciousness of G-d...?
It is instructive to note that the only time this name is used in the Bible is in the exchange
between G-d and Moses at the burning bush. Moses asks G-d what he should tell the Jewish
people G-d's Name is. G-d answers: "I shall be who I shall be". Rashi explains that G-d was
telling Moses to reassure the Jewish people that G-d will be with them in future exiles, just as He
was with them in the Egyptian exile. Thus, even the basic meaning of the name Eh-yeh is
associated with exile, a manifestation of the divine attribute of judgment.

The way this is done is by raising the number 41 to the number 42. Forty-two is the number of
letters in the divine name Havayah when it is spelled in its simple form and two iterations of its
spelling-out.

The divine name Havayah is associated with G-d's attribute of mercy. There are four standard
ways in which this name is spelled-out. If we consider the first three ways of spelling the name,
we note that the number of letters in the simple spelling and two iterations of spelling-out
together is 42.

[You should count only the number of letters in the spellings-out of] the name Havayah whose
numerical value are 72, 63, and 45. Three times 42 [= 126, which] is the numerical value of the
word for "defect" ["pagam", 123] plus one for each of the three letters that compose the word
itself [pei, gimel, and mem].

These names Havayah indicate divine mercy, which you have now substituted for the attribute of
judgment indicated by the 41 letters of the name Eh-yeh, as we said.

The fourth spelling-out of the name Havayah, whose numerical value is 52 and is spelled out
using the letter hei, does not possess 42 letters [in its simple spelling and two iterations of
spelling-out].

Therefore, it cannot "counteract" the 41 letters of the spelling out of the name Eh-yeh and does
not figure in this meditation.

Now, when you slaughter the animal, have in mind that the numerical value of the word for "the
slaughtering" [in Hebrew, "hashechita", spelled hei-shin-chet-yud-tet-hei] is 337, which is three
times the numerical value of the word "Yabok" [spelled yud-beit-kuf, which has a numerical value
of 112].

3 x 112 = 336; adding 1 for the value of the word "Yabok"as a whole gives 337. "Yabok" (or
"Jabok") is the name of the river next to which Jacob wrestled with the angel of Esau.
Slaughtering is thus a specific case of the cosmic struggle between good and evil, divine
consciousness and gross material consciousness. Will the animal be slaughtered in order for man
to satisfy his craving for meat, to aggrandize his animal nature? Or will it be slaughtered in order
to heighten the awareness of G-d's magnificence in creating the taste and satiation that
accompany eating, and by utilizing the energy gained from eating to augment the world's
consciousness of G-d through Torah study and observance of the commandments?
[112] is also the combined numerical value of the names Havayah [26] and Elo-him [86]. These
two names are situated in the throat, which is where the animal is slaughtered.

This will be explained presently. Whereas during the sharpening of the knife, the negativity of the
name Eh-yeh was sweetened by the name Havayah, during the slaughtering itself, the negativity
of the name Elo-him will be sweetened by the name Havayah.

Have in mind that the numerical value of the word for "throat" [in Hebrew, "garon", spelled
gimel-reish-vav-nun, which has a numerical value of 259] is three times that of the name Elo-him.

86 x 3 = 258; adding 1 for the value of the name Elo-him as a whole gives 259.

These [three names Elo-him] are the three immature "brains" which descend there [i.e., to the
throat], as part of the development process of Zeir Anpin, as is known.

As we have explained previously, Zeir Anpin passes through three stage of consciousness in the
course of its development as a partzuf. These are fetal consciousness, suckling consciousness,
and mature consciousness. Mature consciousness is characterized by the mature influence of the
intellect over the emotions. In other words, the consciousness of the intellect must, so to speak,
descend into the realm of the emotions. The ideas and consciousness of the intellect…contract in
order to pass through the neck on the way to the heart…

The conscious powers of the soul are all associated with corresponding locations within the body.
Intellect is, of course, "in" the head, while the emotions are "in" the heart or torso. Between the
head and the torso is the neck, which is of much smaller diameter than either the head or the
torso. Thus, we may envision the ideas and consciousness of the intellect having to contract in
order to pass through the neck on the way to the heart, where they can expand again to inform
and permeate the emotions. This contraction is necessary, since intellect and emotion are two
different worlds, and were the consciousness of the intellect to attempt to influence the emotions
without any quantum leap of level (tzimtzum), the emotions would not be able to "relate to" or
internalize any of the intellect's level of awareness. This neck-stage is thus crucial for the
emotional maturation of Zeir Anpin (and by extension, every human being, who is a projection
and manifestation of Zeir Anpin).

So, first, the three brains (chochma, bina, and daat) descend into the neck region on their way to
the heart. But, as we said, these are mentalities of constricted consciousness, created by the power
of contraction of the name Elo-him. This name indicates G-d's power and strength of restraint. In
order for these levels of consciousness to be able to influence the heart properly, they must be
influenced here, before descending any further, by the name Havayah, indicating G-d's mercy.

At this point, these names are manifestations solely of G-d's judgment. Therefore have in mind to
elicit three names Havayah, indicating mature consciousness. [Combining the names Havayah
and Elo-him thus] will give three times Havayah-Elo-him, which as we said, is the numerical
value of the word for "the slaughtering". By removing the blood…one allows…mature
consciousness to shine into the soul incarnated into the animal…
By removing the blood [which embodies] the attribute of judgment, one allows the three names
Havayah that embody mature consciousness to shine into the soul incarnated into the animal.
This rectifies it.

Blood is red, the color of severity and judgment (gevura).

After this, meditate on the fact that there are two channels in the throat [i.e., the trachea and the
esophagus]. The numerical value of the word [used here to refer to an indicator of kosher
slaughter] "sign" [in Hebrew "siman", spelled samech-yud-mem-nun, 160] is the same as that of
the name Eh-yeh when spelled-out with the letter yud.

The numerical value of the first iteration of the spelling out of the name Eh-yeh using the letter
yud is 161. So this equivalence requires adding 1 for the value of the word for "sign" as a whole.

The numerical value of the word for "trachea" [in Hebrew, "kaneh", spelled kuf-nun-hei, 155] is
the same as that of the name Eh-yeh, when spelled out with the letter hei, plus 4 for sweetening
each of the four base-letters of this name.

The numerical value of the first iteration of the spelling out of the name Eh-yeh using the letter
hei is 151.

The numerical value of the word for "esophagus" [in Hebrew, "veshet", spelled vav-shin-tet, with
a numerical value of 315] is seven times the numerical value of the word for "man" [in Hebrew,
"adam", spelled alef-dalet-mem, equaling 45]. This number [315] is also related to the 320 states
of severity associated with the blood of the throat, which is also a manifestation of severity.

We are to picture the mentality of the brain figuratively descending through the two channels of
the throat into the torso. The act of ritual slaughtering, which empties these vessels of their blood,
neutralizes the negative forces that threaten to thwart the safe passage of divine consciousness
from head to heart.

Seven is the number of emotions that compose Zeir Anpin, the archetypal man-figure, as we have
noted. It is these seven emotions whose rectification depends upon the successful transference of
mind-consciousness through ritual slaughter. Thus, the seven man-emotions are rectified via the
esophagus.

The number 320 is derived from the 288 Sparks of divine light that fell from the world of Tohu
and became embedded as self-oriented consciousness and egocentricity in the fabric of the lower
worlds, including ours. To this number is added the number 32, the number of times the name
Elo-him (the name signifying divine judgment and severity) appears in the story of creation. The
"320 states of severity" thus signify the negativity and egocentricity inherent in creation since the
fall accompanying the primordial sin, which our task is to counteract by eliciting divine mercy
and love.
The equivalence of 315 and 320 is arrived at probably by adding the definite article ("the",
indicated by the Hebrew letter hei, which has a numerical value of 5) to the word for "esophagus"
("ha-veshet").

Now, through ritual slaughter, the dross in these states of severity is sweetened and refined.

[Note: Certain Talmudic sages are also known to have known various animal languages.]

One Thursday, we were sitting before my master, and a goat came up to us and placed its two
front paws on the table. My master began to converse with it in its language. He then told me to
go buy this goat, and have it slaughtered for Shabbat. He then told Rabbi Moshe Sofino to
slaughter it according to the [above detailed] meditations. […] When I later asked my teacher
what this soul did that it had to be punished by being reincarnated into this goat, he said that this
soul was a great scholar from Talmudic times who had engaged in marital relations with his wife
by candlelight. May G-d preserve us, Amen.

Marital relations are supposed to be conducted in the dark, for reasons of modesty and intimacy.
The Hebrew word for "goat" ["eiz"] also reads as "brash" [in Hebrew, "az"].

[Translated and adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky from Shaar HaMitzvot and Taamei
HaMitzvot, parashat Re'eh; subsequently published in "Apples From the Orchard."]

Mystical Significance of Hair 1

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

For purposes of clarity, this commentary has been divided into three sections. The first section
deals with practices, the second explores spiritual insights, and the third offers meditation
instructions and a conclusion.

Section I: Practices

Before we explore the spiritual insights of the Arizal's teaching, we need first to understand what,
in practice, our options are. We will start first with an examination of Halacha (Jewish Law) and
then discuss Kabbalistic and Chassidic practices rooted largely in the teachings of the Arizal.
(See part 2 of this presentation.)

According to Jewish Law, women are permitted to shave their own facial hair (Shulchan Aruch,
Yoreh Deah 181:12), and to shave the sides of their head (Ibid.181:6). Women are not allowed to
shave (with a razor) any Jewish man's beard or peyot, i.e. side locks (Ibid.). According to some
authorities, men are permitted to trim or completely shave their beard with either a scissors or an
electric shaver that employs a scissor-like cutting mechanism (Ibid. 181:3,10 and Har Tzvi, Y.D.
143). These lenient authorities maintain that the Torah's prohibition applies only to using a razor
in the prohibited zones on the man's beard and head (Makot 20A, Rambam, Avodat Kochavim
12:6). A man should keep the hair of his head short, with the exception of course of the peyot and
beard…

A man may allow his hair to grow in a moderate way, as long as: there is no impediment due to
hair thickness to his putting on the head Tefillin, he does not wear long hair to emulate women,
and his hairstyle does not follow uniquely gentile fashions. When a man or a woman gets a
haircut, or a man trims or shaves his beard, each should have this done by a person of the same
sex..

Kabbalistic and Chasidic practice don't avail themselves of these lenient halachic opinions
(Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 181:3 see Veyesh Osrim & 181:11 and the Arizal quoted above),
and so Kabbalistic principles differs in the following ways:

1. A man does not shave, nor permit others to shave, his beard at all, with the exception of the
mustache that overlaps the top lip, and this is only to be trimmed to above the lip with a scissors.
(Writings of the Ari, Taamei Hamitzvot, parashat Kedoshim)

2. According to some, a man does not allow his peyot, i.e. the hair of his temples and upper
sideburns between forehead to back of ears (i.e. sides of the head) to be trimmed (Shulchan
Aruch, Yoreh Deah 181:11) except when the peyot extend past the length of the beard and then
are trimmed with a scissors. (Writings of the Ari, Ta'amei Hamitzvot, parashat Kedoshim)

3. A man should keep the hair of his head short (Ibid.), with the exception of course of the peyot
and beard.

Section II: Spiritual Insights The path of Kabbala…soars to the level of passionate harmony with
the spirit of the Divine Law.

The path of Kabbala is a profound, yet subtle spiritual path, nestled within the heart of Torah.
The mitzvot explored here will distinguish clearly between a person, whose commitment to
Torah is limited to the keeping of the letter of the Divine Law, and a person whose commitment
soars to the level of passionate harmony with the spirit of the Divine Law.

Any part of the natural order can be perceived in a variety if ways. Hair, the subject of our
exploration here, is no exception. For a scientist, hair is seen and understood in terms of its
function in the human body; for a swimmer, in terms of its implications on the speed of the race;
and for an advertising executive, as an instrument to attract customers. All these perspectives are
understandable, yet far removed from how a Torah practitioner and Kabbalist relates to hair.

The Kabbalist, analogous to the scientist, is interested in understanding hair's spiritual dimension
and function. Analogous to the swimmer, he is interested in how hair allows him to maneuver
through the spiritual realm. Given the nature of hair, in what way does it obstruct the spiritual
journey; in what way can it expedite it? The Kabbalist, like the advertising executive, is
interested in attracting divine spiritual abundance and seeks to promote practices that facilitate
that aim. These parallels reflect the statement of King Solomon, "One opposite the other did G-d
make." (Ecclesiastes 7:14) The wise will understand.
Many people today experience and relate to their hair as an important expression of their self and
something that is integral to their self-esteem. Thus for moderns, it should be reiterated that the
Torah gracefully allows them to keep their hairstyles. This is the case provided the hairstyles
conform with basic Torah norms of modesty and with the laws relating to shaving and haircuts
that we have seen above and will explain later. There is an element of the Torah, the Tree of Life,
that makes space for a spectrum of people who are all in different places along the spiritual path.
The disciple of Kabbala, representing the epitome of spiritual aspiration in Torah, seeks from the
depths of Torah a way of relating to hair that brings greater spiritual purpose, understanding and
maturation.

What is first made clear in the Arizal's teaching is that all hair, whether that of a man or a woman,
has besides any physical qualities and psychological significance a distinct spiritual quality. This
quality for a man and a woman are different in degree but not in kind. However, whether for men
or for women, this quality can actually be different in kind, as we see with the attainment of the
nazerite. The nazerite's hair is transformed from the quality of din (judgment) to that of rachamim
(mercy) by their ascetic and spiritual practices. This transformation of the hair from din to
rachamim explains the commandment (Num. 6:5) upon the nazerite to grow his hair long and
thus to manifest the supernal rachamim latent within the divine persona (partzuf) of Atik Yomin
that he has come to, in miniature, be expressed through their hair.

Initially, students of Kabbala need to develop this sensitivity to hair's spiritual quality and then
they can start developing their appreciation for the Arizal's understanding and mappings of these
various gradations of hair and the directives that follow from them. We are bidden to emulate G-d
in terms of specific character traits, all having their specific parallels in the sefirot…

First, it should be said that Kabbala has a complex yet ultimately simple understanding of G-d.
Accordingly, it calls upon us to emulate, and, so to speak, embody, a greater range of divine
personas, or in proper Kabbalistic terminology, partzufim. In other words, in Torah (Rambam,
Sefer Mitzvot, Mitzvah 8) we are bidden to emulate G-d in terms of specific character traits, all
having their specific parallels in the sefirot (Tomer Devorah). So too here, we are called to touch
a more subtle dimension of G-d's manifestation of Himself in creation and our psyche.

The Arizal, in the teaching above, refers to three partzufim: Nukva, Zeir Anpin and Arich Anpin.
Here, we will deal with the first two, given that the nazerite's vow is not desirable for most
contemporary Jews. (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 203:7)

"Nukva" is Aramaic for "female", and is also known as the Shechina (indwelling Divine
Presence). It is a feminine/receptive dimension of the Creator's sefirotic personality, so to speak.
Nukva corresponds to the sefira of malchut. How does the Kabbala reconcile the concepts of
femininity and kingship equally associated with Nukva? Quite simply, Kabbala sees monarchy as
depending on a kingdom, something that can only be given to the King, in a desired fashion,
through the willing reception on the part of a people of the kingdom. Thus, it is said about
Nukva/malchut, "There is no King without a nation" (Kad HaKemach, Rosh Hashanah Ayin,
alef). Nukva is also as referred to as "bat" ("daughter") or "Knesset Yisrael" ("the Community of
Israel") and represents the collective soul of the Jewish people. Although Nukva is
receptive/feminine to the G-dly dimensions above, it is active/masculine in relation to those
below it.
"Zeir Anpin" is Aramaic for "Small Face" and represents the small face of G-d. Zeir Anpin is how
G-d appeared to the Jewish people in the image of a young warrior with black hair.(See Sha'ar
Hakavanot, Inyan Chag Hashavuot, for quotation of famous Midrash.) This prophetic glimpse of
divine imagery was perceived at the crossing of the Red Sea when the Egyptians were drowned.
It is possible that this dimension of G-d is seen as the small face because it does not reflect the
wholeness of the divine intention in relation to Creation. Rather, it is but a small dimension of the
Creator's sefirotic projection. Zeir Anpin is also known as "Holy One, blessed be He" and is a
masculine/active dimension of the Creator's sefirotic persona. Ze'ir Anpin is known as "ben"
("son") and is associated with the six sefirot of chesed, gevura, tiferet, netzach, hod and yesod.

Before we explain the nature of the hair of Zeir Anpin and Nukva, it is necessary to first explain
the concept of hair as it pertains to the partzufim. First, though, it needs to be said that each
partzuf is composed of ten sefirot, which have both Mochin (consciousness) and middot
(attributes). In name, the Mochin are: keter, chochma, bina and the middot are: chesed, gevura,
tiferet, netzach, hod and yesod. Malchut, as we have said, is receptive. These sefirot are depicted
by analogy to a human like form. Thus hair is also part of the human being and is viewed as
reflective of the divine hair. One could look at our hair as being a poor analogy of the "real"
divine hair. The hair of the partzufim is said to originate in the excess of the Mochin's processing
and receptivity of the divine light from the Ein Sof. (Otzrot Chaim, Derush Adam Kadmon, pg. 6)
The hair of Nukva and of Zeir Anpin have the quality of judgment…

The hair of Nukva and of Zeir Anpin have the quality of judgment (din). Yet, Nukva, associated
with the woman, is of a less severe quality and is only in need of being covered. This covering of
the female's hair in Jewish law, applies to married, divorced, or widowed women. In Kabbalistic
practice these women's hair are meant, within the bounds of practicality, to be covered entirely,
and to be covered, ideally, nearly always with the exception of bathing.

[Note: See Zohar, parashat Naso 125b -126b, regarding spiritual importance and ramifications of
women not covering their hair both at home and outside. See Magen Avraham, Orach Chaim
75:2 regarding extent that hair should be covered according to Zohar; also see Chatam Sofer,
Orach Chaim 36; also Igrot Moshe, Even HaEzer, vol. I, 58 for strict and lenient Halachic views.
See Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer 21:2 and Bayit Chadash on Tur ad loc. for requirement of hair
coverings for women who are: married, divorced, widowed or single if not virgins. For this last
inclusion, see Mishna Berura, Orach Chaim 75:11, Helkat Mechokek, Letter 2 and Shevut Yaakov
vol. I, 103. There is room for leniency here from for widows, divorcees, and presumably single
women. See Igrot Moshe Even HaEzer, vol. I, 57 and more so Igrot Moshe Even HaEzer, sect. 32
par. 4. In practice, one is advised to ask one's local Rav. There are stricter opinions see Yabiah
Omer 4:3.]

A man's hair, though, is of a different variety. His judgments (din) expressed on the hair of most
of his head, with exception of the sideburns (peyot), are considered in need of nearly complete
elimination. This especially is the case if his soul is rooted in the distinctly aggressive dimension
of the super-soul-root of Cain, the killer of his brother Abel. In the context of what has been said
in regards to woman, the message is clear. A man, who is an embodiment of Zeir Anpin, needs to
remove his judgments, i.e. hairs of most of his head, in order to rectify his nature. Men, it should
also be noted also cover their hair (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 2:6 and see Shabbat 156b) and
contrary to much popular lay opinion, this head covering is ideally supposed to cover the
majority of his skull (Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 1:1). Nor should a man walk four ammot
(approximately six feet) without a head covering, or make a blessing without a head covering
(Ibid.). In particular, Kabbalists wear especially large head coverings, almost equaling those of
women's requirement.

Not so the hair of the man's beard. Here we are instructed that a man's beard represents channels
for divine abundance and reflect supernal G-dly qualities of kindness and trust, which men are
called to embody. With regards to the man's beard, he is encouraged to let it grow unhindered.
Here there is also the need for sensitization that beard hair is not something to pull, when
debating a Talmudic argument, or to comb, for the cultivation of even a spiritual neatly kept
image. Rather, a man is called to a radical experience of what Job stated, "From my flesh I will
see G-d." (Job 19:26) We can explain this verse as referring to the experience of the spiritual and
G-dly potential in the human body. A woman, who expresses the divine persona of Nukva, is…
embodiment of a tamed force of judgment in this world…

When the Arizal teaches that the hair of the head is of the quality of judgment, perhaps this is
also tacit recognition, in one respect, of the intimate association of hair with ego. For anyone
living in the Western world such a connection between hair and ego is beyond need of
demonstration. Likewise, is the understanding nothing more than ego limits a person. The hair of
the head, located as it is on the top of the human body, can be perceived as the keter (literally
"crown") of negative human ego. Interestingly, a woman, who expresses the divine persona of
Nukva, is required to cover her hair on the head but is not to eliminate it. In actuality, the opposite
is true. She is discouraged from making herself hairless, given the need for her embodiment of a
tamed force of judgment in this world. Women are rooted in the left side of the Tree of Life and
correspond to the gevura. Her gevura needs to be contained but not eliminated. Men are rooted in
the Right side of the Tree of Life, and find their source in the chasadim; therefore, their
gevurot/dinim, i.e. the hair of their heads, needs to be eliminated largely but not completely.

How is it that our hair has come to embody the quality of judgment? And is this the way of
responding to this reality? Kabbala explains that anything with a dominant quality of judgment,
like hair, is inherently vulnerable to exposure and damage from the "Other Side" i.e. Evil. That
there is evil in the world and that the world is in such a spiritually collapsed state of existence is a
result of the fall of Adam and Eve. (Derech Hashem 1:3:8) Needless to say, before their fall
Adam and Eve did not cover their hair, as they were both naked (Gen. 2:25), free of sexual lust
and ego. (See Guide for the Perplexed, ch. 2)

We, as fallen human beings seeking redemption, need to respect the situation that we, as part of
archetypal Adam and Eve, have collectively created. We need to work with this reality towards
Tikun. Abrogating the covering of one's hair, for a man or a woman, in the present time, in the
name of feminism or some preemptive neo-messianic spirit, when evil has yet to be eradicated,
feeds the "Other Side" with exactly what it desires: the power of judgments. The Zohar states
quite clearly that when we expose the judgments below, we cause a descent of the judgments
above, in Nukva and Zeir Anpin, into this world below. These then later wreak havoc on our lives.

In the words of the Zohar: "Disruption of spiritual consciousness will befall a man who allows his
wife to expose her hair; this [the proper covering of a woman's hair] is one of the foundational
principles of modesty. A woman who let's her hair be seen in order to appear attractive causes
poverty to her home, spiritual inferiority to her children and causes a negative spiritual influence
to reside in the home… If all this in one's own house certainly in public places and certainly other
brazen acts of immodesty…."(Zohar, parashat Naso 125b-126b)

Section 3: Meditation Instructions

When a man is beginning to have his haircut, he should intend:

1. To fulfill the will of his Maker in not having the corners of his head shaved with a razor.

2. To fulfill the will of his Maker in not having his beard cut by a razor.

Besides these preparatory meditations, he can intend:

1. To remove the judgments from his head to the extent that he does.

2. To do the meditation while reflecting on the above gematria of the word "ta'ar" ("razor"- see
Part 1) and name of G-d.

Throughout the day, a man can attune to his beard, as an expression of the divine names E-l Sha-
Dai. This should not be done in the bathroom or an unclean place. While contemplating, a person
can focus on opening his heart in kindness, and developing his inner strength, thus becoming
more truly trusted as a vessel for the Divine Will.

A woman, when putting on her hair-covering, can intend to conceal and sweeten her judgments.
She can also contemplate ways in which she can appropriately manifest her inborn quality of
gevura. Hair, as a clearly sexual dimension of her existence, can suggest a meditation focused on
the partial concealment of her physical self so that her spiritual self can illuminate creation with
greater clarity.

The goal of the Kabbala is the transformation of a human being into a chariot for the Divine.
Hair, an aspect of our existence that has been exiled into banality and perversion, in Kabbala is
recognized for its spiritual power, properties and potential. Contemporary Jewish spiritual seekers
are encouraged to work with this Kabbalistic tradition and experiment with its fruits.

Although the experience of Divine Law is at times experienced as an external imposition on the
self, experience shows that with the humbling of the heart and the opening of the mind Divine
Law, is in actuality a greater, albeit often more concealed, expression of the soul's knowledge and
intuitive wisdom.

Part two of this presentation of the Mystical Significance of Hair

[Adapted by Zechariah Goldman from Taamei Hamitzvot, Kedoshim]

Mystical Significance of Hair 2

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

The following is a careful translation from the Ari; it is, however, a difficult selection. For an
introduction to the topic and extended commentary by our translator, please see part one of this
presentation.

Do not cut off the hair on the sides of your head. Do not shave off the edges of your beard. (Lev.
19:27)

When performing a commandment, a person should do so to fulfill the will of his Creator, Who
commanded him. For example, when a man's hair is cut, he should bring to mind that he will not
allow the hair of the sides of his head to be shaved, nor the hair of his beard.

The mystical explanation is the following: There are the three types of hair of the head -
those associated with Arich Anpin, Zeir Anpin and Nukva. However, the hairs of Arich
Anpin are of a quality of complete mercy and are all channels of lights that allow the lights
to descend below; it is not appropriate to cut them. Therefore, the nazirite whose hair
signifies Atik [associated with Arich Anpin] does not cut his hair at all, as has been explained
regarding the commandment of the nazirite. However, in Zeir Anpin it is fitting to cut of the
hair of one's head, particularly someone whose soul is rooted in the root soul of Cain. The
beard hairs are channels of divine spiritual abundance…

It is proper for a man to intend, when getting his hair cut, that he is a reflection of Zeir
Anpin, and that he is removing all the judgments from himself by means of the razor [in
Hebrew, "ta'ar"], which has the numerical value of the divine name Ado-nai. This numerical
equivalency is achieved when each letter of this divine name Ado-nai is spelled out in full,
and the total numerical value of each letter is added up. Ado-nai transforms the judgment;
therefore, it has the numerical value of "razor" ["ta'ar"] to remove the judgments…

"Ta'ar" is spelled: tav (400), ayin (70), reish (200), with a total numerical value of 670 plus 1 for
the entirety of the word, equaling 671.

"Ado-nai" spelled-out is : alef (1), lamed (30), pei (80), dalet (4), lamed (30), tav (400), nun (50),
vav (6), nun (50), yud (10) vav (6), dalet (4), with a total numerical value of 671

However, you already know that the head [of a person] incorporates allusions to the ten
sefirot, and that its allusion to malchut constitutes the secret of the Sides of the Head. Thus,
"side" [in Hebrew, "pe'ah"] has the numerical value of the divine name Elo-him, and
"pe'ah" is always in malchut.

"Pe'ah" is spelled pei (80), alef (1), hei (5), with a numerical value of 86.

"Elo-him" is spelled alef (1), lamed (30), hei (5), yud (10), mem (40), also with a numerical value
of 86.
However, there is no sustained existence to the world except through the judgments, and it
is not fitting to remove them completely. To that end, we need to retain only the dimension
of malchut [i.e. pe'ah], but this applies only to the head of Zeir Anpin [man]. However, Nukva
[woman] does not shave her head. The reason is that since she corresponds to Nukva, and
since all the judgments are in Asiya [related to Nukva], were she to remove the judgments
from the head of Nukva, there would not remain any judgments in the world. Accordingly,
a woman needs to keep her hair and does not shave her head.

My master was extremely careful not to get a haircut after midday, that is after the time
arrives for praying the Large Mincha. Even on the eve of the Shabbat [i.e. Friday afternoon],
he was cautious.

It is fitting that a man not uproot any hair from his beard at all, for the beard hairs are channels of
divine spiritual abundance. He should intend that the top of the beard is the First Tikun.

The divine name "E-l", in the secret of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, and the hair of the
beard on the left and right is twice the numeric value of the Hebrew word for "beard"
["zakan"], which is also the numerical value of the divine name "Sha-dai".

"Zakan" is spelled zayin (7), kuf (100), nun (50), and when doubled has a numerical value of 314.

"Sha-dai" is spelled shin (300), dalet (4), yud (10), also with a total numerical value of 314.

Together the beard as a whole is "E-l Sha-dai". For this reason a man should be mindful at all
times not to grasp his beard so that he does not uproot any hair from it.

[Adapted by Zechariah Goldman from Taamei Hamitzvot, Kedoshim]

"He Who Steals..."

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

Do Not Steal…Do Not Rob… (Lev. 19: 11 and 13)

Know, that our sages said, "He who steals the slightest amount from his friend is as if he
stole his soul." [Bava Kama 119a. The original for "the slightest amount" is "the value of a
perutah," a perutah being the smallest coin; less than this amount is not considered money for
legal purposes.] The mystical significance of stealing and robbing is as follows:

Stealing [causes a blemish] in the upper third of tiferet of Zeir Anpin, for it is there that the
states of chesed become revealed, as is known.

As we have explained previously, the yesod of Imma envelops Zeir Anpin as far down as the
upper third of its tiferet. From that point downward, the states of chesed that make of Zeir Anpin
become revealed. Stealing is done clandestinely, so it causes a blemish in the upper, concealed
third of tiferet, while robbing, which is done out in the open, causes a blemish in the lower,
revealed two thirds of tiferet.

The inner dimension of tiferet is 'mercy' or 'empathy' - the ability of the soul to feel for another
person

Chesed is the raw material out of which all the emotions are built; it is thus the basic ingredient of
all of Zeir Anpin.

The inner dimension of tiferet is "mercy" or "empathy" (rachamim) - the ability of the soul to feel
for another person. Stealing (or robbing) is obviously the direct antithesis of this: in order to steal,
an individual must forget about the other person's feelings. Stealing and robbing thus blemish, i.e.
weaken, the power of tiferet above.

This is the mystical significance of the double restitution, for the thief causes a blemish above, in
the concealed levels, while the robber causes a blemish in the revealed levels.

Unless he admits his crime on his own, someone who steals from his fellow must restore twice
the amount he stole; in this way he suffers the loss he intended to inflict on his victim. (Mishna
Torah,Geneivah 1:4.)

When one steals "down below" [in this world], he causes the forces of evil to steal "up
above" [in the spiritual worlds] the souls emerging from the supernal female, malchut [i.e. the
partzuf of Nukva]. She acquired these souls by virtue of her coupling [with Zeir Anpin].

The union of Zeir Anpin and Nukva of a specific world produces souls possessing the state of
consciousness of that world. This coupling is part of the process the soul undergoes as it descends
from its Divine origin into a physical body. On the way, it must first descend through the various
worlds to be "processed" and thus acquire the successively dimmer states of consciousness of
those worlds. This process continues until it has descended in consciousness to the level of this
physical world.

...the task of infusing the world with Divine consciousness and goodness will be slowed down

This supernal "kidnapping" or "crib-robbing" means that the forces of evil are empowered by the
theft below to claim a certain amount of the souls being born into this world as their own. These
souls will be born with less empathy or mercy than they would have otherwise. This means that
the task of infusing the world with Divine consciousness and goodness will be slowed down or
even suffer a setback.

As is known, coupling is known as [carnal] "knowledge," as it is written, "And Adam knew

his wife, Eve." (Gen. 4:1) We are also taught that feminine knowledge is "light." Therefore,
the [thief must make] double restitution, for the numerical value of the word for "double"
[kefel] is the same as that of the word for "light" [kal, 130].
The Talmud (Kidushin 80b) says "Women have 'light' knowledge." This generally means that
although women possess daat, their daat is initially less objective than is men's. This relative
subjectivity is necessary for women to fulfill their task of manifesting Divinity in the world;
men's relative objectivity renders them unfit for this task.

In any case, by robbing Nukva of her offspring, the forces of evil are attacking her use of her
"lightness" of knowledge.

Kefel: kaf-pei-lamed = 20 + 80 + 30 = 180; Kal: kuf-lamed = 100 + 30 = 130.

We will now see another reason for the double restitution.

When someone steals 'down below', he also causes the forces of evil to steal 'up above', the
ascending souls.

Furthermore, when someone steals "down below," he also causes the forces of evil to steal
"up above" the souls ascending as "feminine water" to malchut; this further causes the
descent of the [seminal] drop of "male water" from the male [partzuf, i.e. Zeir Anpin].

"Male water" and "feminine water" (the imagery of rain and evaporation - or perhaps even that of
geysers) are the Zoharic terms for "arousal from above" and "arousal from below," respectively.
When a soul completes its task (or a task) on earth, it (or the positive energy created by this good
deed) ascends back through the spiritual realms into its source in malchut. This upward surge
from below elicits a corresponding downward response from above, and causes a further
revelation of Divine beneficence and goodness in the world.

When a person steals, however, the forces of evil are empowered to steal this upward surge for
themselves, preventing the concomitant, downward "male" response from occurring.

[He thus causes] a double blemish, for which he must therefore make double restitution.

Now, as we said, when someone steals "down below," he causes a blemish "up above" by
causing the forces of evil to steal souls in the way we have described. This is the mystical
meaning of our sages' statement that "[he who steals the slightest amount from his friend] is as
if he stole his soul." They made a point of saying "he stole his soul" rather than some other
expression [in order to include the mystical interpretation just cited]. May G-d preserve us
[from this sin].

Translated and adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky from Sefer HaLikutim; subsequently

published in "Apples From the Orchard."

Reprinted with permission from Chabad of California. Copyright 2004 by Chabad of California,
Inc. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any
form, without permission, in writing, from Chabad of California, Inc.
Preparing for Kabbala
From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

"I, the author, adjure on the great name of G-d, anyone into whose hands these [kabbalistic]
pamphlets fall, that he should read this introduction. If his soul desires to enter the
chamber of this wisdom, he should accept upon himself to complete and fulfill all that I
write, and the former of creation will testify upon him, that to him will not come damage to
his body and soul, and to all that is his, and not to others, because of his running after good,
and one who comes to purify and come close, first before everything, fear of G-d, to attain
fear of punishment, for awe of G-d's greatness that is the more internal fear, he will not
attain, except from the maturation of wisdom. …he needs [to heed] the admonition: turn from
evil and do good; and pursue peace

His essential involvement in this knowledge should be, to eliminate the thorns from the
vineyard, for those who engage in this wisdom are therefore called tenders of the field. And
certainly the evil shells will be aroused against him, to seduce him and to cause him to sin;
therefore, he should be watchful that he not come to sin even unintentionally, so that they
will have no relation to him. Accordingly, it is necessary to guard against [adopting]
leniencies [in Torah Law], for the Holy One Blessed Be He is exacting with the righteous, like
a thread of hair. For this reason, he needs to abstain from meat and wine during weekdays,
and he needs [to heed] the admonition of "turn from evil and do good; and pursue peace."

Pursue peace: it is necessary to seek peace, and not to be demanding in one's home, whether for
an insignificant or a significant matter and certainly a person should not succumb to anger, G-d
forbid! To be cautious in all the details of the commandments, even the words of the Sages

And he needs to distance himself to the ultimate distance [from evil].

Turn from Evil:

To be cautious in all the details of the commandments, and even the words of the Sages for
these are included in [the negative commandment] do not stray [from the word that I (G-d)
command you].

To rectify the damage [one has done] before one goes to the coming world.

To be careful not to get angry even when disciplining his children; in principle, he should not get
angry at all.

In addition, he needs to be watchful of arrogance, specifically in matters pertaining [to his

observance] of Halacha, for the power [of arrogance] is great, and in this regard, arrogance
is a terrible sin.
With every pain he suffers, he should examine his deeds, and [then] return to G-d.

He should also immerse [in a mikva] at the necessary time [as soon as possible after any
seminal emission].

He should also sanctify himself during marital relations so that he should not
[egoistically/sensually] benefit.

There should not pass any night, [where he does not] think every night what he did during
the day, and [he should] confess [and repent].

He should also minimize his business dealings, and if he has no livelihood, except through
business, he should intend that Tuesday and Wednesday from noon and on, the intention
should be [that these times are set aside] to the service of his creator.

Any speech that is not of a mitzva and necessary, he should refrain from, and even in a
matter of a mitzva he should desist [from speaking] during prayer. he should refrain from any
speech that is not of a mitzva and necessary

And do good:

To awaken at [Torah-defined] midnight to recite the order [of the Tikun Chatzot] in sackcloth
and ashes, and great crying, and with intention [fulfilling], all that comes out of his mouth.
And afterwards he should immerse in Torah for whatever time he can be without sleep, and
at least a half hour before dawn, he should awaken to immerse in Torah study.

He should go to the synagogue before dawn, before the obligation of talit and tefillin, to be
watchful that he should be one of the first of the ten [men that make a minyan].

Before entering [the synagogue], he should accept upon himself the positive commandment
"and you shall love your neighbor as yourself," and only then enter.

To complete the hint [alluded to in the word] tzadik [tzadi = 90; dalet = 4; yud = 10; kof = 100]
every day, that is [comprised of] 90 amen's, 4 Kedushot, 10 Kadishes, 100 Blessings.

Not to interrupt his awareness from [the sensations of holiness and consciousness emanating
from] his tefillin during prayer, except for Amida and while engaged in Torah study.

It is necessary to be wrapped in talit and tefillin when he immerses himself in Torah study
[during the day and afternoon].

To meditate, during prayer, on the [kabbalistic] intentions, as it is written in Etz Chaim.

That he always places before his eyes the [Divine] Name, a product of four [letters]
Havaya(h) [Yud-Hei-Vav-Hei], and he should veer from it, as it is written I have placed G-d
before me always.
That he meditatively focus while reciting all the blessings, and specifically the blessings
before enjoyment [made over eating in general].

His labor in Torah needs to be, Pardes, and do not think that they will reveal to him secrets
of Torah when he is empty of knowledge, as it is written [in Scripture that] [G-d] gives
wisdom to the wise. And one needs to be cautious that he not let escape from his mouth
anything of this wisdom, that he has not heard from a man who is not worthy to depend on,
as Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and his colleagues have warned.

[Etz Chaim, "Introduction", p. 22-23]

Gate of Reincarnations
Introduction

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

The work, "Shaar HaGilgulim," as the title reveals, is about the Torah concept of reincarnation.
Based primarily on the Zohar in Parashat Mishpatim where gilgulim are discussed, it is from the
writings of the master Kabbalist, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, zt"l (1534-1572), otherwise known as the
'Arizal.' The book was recorded by his foremost disciple, Rabbi Chaim Vital, zt"l, and amended
by Rabbi Shmuel Vital, his son.

As well as outline principles of personal rectification and reincarnation, this work reveals the
spiritual roots of many of the great Torah scholars of the past. Furthermore, it often provides vital
information about the future in terms of helping one understand the challenges to be expected
throughout Jewish history and particularly at the 'End-of-Days.'

Our new annotated English rendition was translated by Rabbi Yitzchak Bar Chaim. It is being
edited and annotated by Rabbi Shabtai Teicher, an Ari Kabbala scholar in Jerusalem. We have
divided the lengthier of its 42 chapters (in the original called: hakdomot - "Introductions"), into a
number of sections.