The souls until their descent to the world

Synopsis

Rabbi Chiya tells us that everything and everyone that exists now and that will exist in the future existed before the world began. Some souls are distanced from God before birth and also in this lifetime, although they may repent later and get back their saintly part. Rabbi Chiya says that the two sons of Aaron were righteous, and he cannot understand how God could have wished them to perish considering their own merits, their ancestral merits and the merits of Moses. Rabbi Shimon says that God made sure their souls were not lost, and Pinchas had already been born to house their souls. He also tells us that righteous souls are prepared above and given names before ever they come to this world.

Creation Crowns Soul, The Torah

94. Rabbi Chiya said, "That which is, already has been; and that which is to be has already been..." (Kohelet 3:15). "That which is, already has been." We have learned that before the Holy One, blessed be He, created this world, He created worlds and destroyed them - THIS IS THE SECRET OF THE BREAKING OF THE VESSELS - until it entered the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, to create this world. First, He took counsel with the Torah, THE SECRET OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN, then He put on His adornments and was crowned with His crowns and created this world. All that is found in this world was there before Him, AT THE TIME OF CREATION, and was prepared before Him.

94. פָּתַח רִבִּי חִיָּיא וְאָמַר, מַה שֶׁהָיָה כְּבָר הוּא וַאֲשֶׁר לִהְיוֹת וְגוֹ.' מַה שֶׁהָיָה כְבָר, הַיְינוּ דְּתָנֵינָן, עַד לָא בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הַאי עָלְמָא, הֲוָה בָּארֵי עָלְמִין וְחָרִיב לוֹן, עַד דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא סָלִיק בִּרְעוּתֵיהּ, לְמִבְרֵי הַאי עָלְמָא, וְאַמְלִיךְ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. כְּדֵין אִתְתָּקַּן הוּא בְּתִקּוּנוֹי, וְאִתְעַטָּר בְּעִטְרוֹי, וּבָרָא הַאי עָלְמָא. וְכָל מַאי דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, הָא הֲוָה קַמֵּיהּ, וְאִתְתָּקַּן קַמֵּיהּ.

Heavens Idolatry Soul, The

95. וְתָאנָא, כָּל אִינּוּן דַּבָּרֵי עָלְמָא, דְּאִשְׁתְּכָחוּ בְּכָל דָּרָא וְדָרָא, עַד לָא יֵיתוּן לְעָלְמָא, הָא הֲווֹ קַיְימֵי קַמֵּיהּ בְּדִיּוּקְנֵיהוֹן. אֲפִילּוּ כָּל אִינּוּן נִשְׁמָתִין דִּבְנֵי נָשָׂא, עַד לָא יֶחֱתוּן לְעָלְמָא, כֻּלְּהוּ גְּלִיפִין קָמֵיהּ בִּרְקִיעָא, בְּהַהוּא דִּיּוּקְנָא מַמָּשׁ, דְּאִינּוּן בְּהַאי עָלְמָא. וְכָל מַה דְּאוֹלְפִין בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, כֺּלָּא יָדְעוּ עַד לָא יֵיתוּן לְעָלְמָא. וְתָנֵינָא, הַאי בְּאִינּוּן זַכָּאֵי קְשׁוֹט.

Abyss Earth Holiness (Kedushah) Kedushah (Holiness) Merit Repentance Soul, The

96. All of these that are not found to be just in this world, even there ABOVE BEFORE COMING TO THE WORLD, distance themselves from the presence of the Holy One, blessed be He. They enter the chasm of the great abyss and hurry to descend to this world. And we learned that their souls are stiff necked in this world, as they were before coming to this world. They throw away the saintly part that THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, gave to them FROM THE SIDE OF HOLINESS and go wander about and become impure in that chasm of the great abyss. They take their share there, precipitate the hour and descend to earth. If a man later gains merit and repents before his Master, he will receive back his own portion, NAMELY, THE HOLY PORTION THAT HE THREW UPWARD, AS MENTIONED. This is the meaning of the verse, "That which is, already has been; and that which is to be has already been..."

96. וְכָל אִינּוּן דְּלָא מִשְׁתַּכְּחִין זַכָּאִין בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, אֲפִילּוּ תַּמָּן, מִתְרַחֲקִין מִקַּמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְעָאלִין בְּנוּקְבָּא דִּתְהוֹמָא רַבָּא, וְדַחֲקִין שַׁעֲתָא, וְנַחְתִּין לְעָלְמָא. וְהַהִיא נִשְׁמְתָא דִּלְהוֹן, הָא אוֹלִיפְנָא, כְּמָה דְּאִינּוּן קְשֵׁי קְדָל בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, כַּךְ הֲווֹ עַד לָא יֵיתוּן לְעָלְמָא. וְהַהוּא חוּלָקָא קַדִּישָׁא דְּיָהַב לוֹן רָמָאן לֵיהּ, וְאָזְלִין וְשָׁאטִין וְאַסְתַּאָבוּן, בְּהַהוּא נוּקְבָּא דִּתְהוֹמָא רַבָּא, וְנַטְלֵי חוּלָקֵיהוֹן מִתַּמָּן, וְדַחֲקִין שַׁעֲתָא וְנַחְתֵּי לְעָלְמָא. אִי זָכֵי לְבָתַר, וְתָב בְּתִיּוּבְתָּא קָמֵי מָארֵיהּ, הוּא נָטִיל הַהוּא חוּלָקָא דִּילֵיהּ מַמָּשׁ, הה"ד, מַה שֶׁהָיָה כְּבָר הוּא וַאֲשֶׁר לִהְיוֹת וְגוֹ' כְּבָר הָיָה.

Aaron Abihu Merit Moses Nadab

97. Come and see that the sons of Aaron had no equal in Yisrael, except for Moses and Aaron. They were called "the nobles of the children of Yisrael" (Shemot 24:11) and they died because they erred before the Holy King. HE QUESTIONS: Did the Holy One, blessed be He, wish that they should perish? Did we not learn in the secret of the Mishnah that the Holy One, blessed be He, does kindness with everyone, and even evildoers He does not wish to cause to perish. But these most saintly ones, NADAB AND ABIHU, will it enter your mind that they should perish from the world? Where were their merits, the merits of their ancestors and also the merit of Moses? How could they have perished?

97. ת"ח בְּנֵי אַהֲרֺן לָא אִשְׁתְּכָחוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּוָותַיְיהוּ, בַּר מֺשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֺן, וְאִינּוּן אִקְרוּן אֲצִילֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְעַל דְּטָעוּ קָמֵי מַלְכָּא קַדִּישָׁא, מִיתוּ. וְכִי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעָא לְאוֹבָדָא לוֹן, וְהָא תָּנֵינָן בְּרָזָא דְּמַתְנִיתִין, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָבֵד חֶסֶד בְּכֺלָּא, וַאֲפִילּוּ בְּרַשִׁיעֵי עָלְמָא לָא בָּעֵי לְאוֹבָדָא לוֹן. וְהָנֵי זַכָּאֵי קְשׁוֹט ס"ד דְּאִינּוּן אִתְאֲבִידוּ מֵעָלְמָא, זְכוּתָא דִּלְהוֹן אָן הוּא. זְכוּתָא דְּאָבוּהוֹן אָן הוּא. זְכוּתָא דְּמֺשֶׁה הָכִי נָמֵי. וְאִינּוּן הֵיךְ אִתְאֲבִידוּ.

Aaron Abihu Correction Elazar Fire Nadab Pinchas Soul, The

98. HE ANSWERS: We have learned from the holy luminary that the Holy One, blessed be He, concerned Himself with their honor, so inwardly their bodies were tinged with fire, but their soul was not lost, as we have already established. Come and see that even before the deaths of Aaron's sons, it is written, "And Elazar, Aaron's son took of the daughters of Putiel to wife; AND SHE BORE HIM PINCHAS" (Shemot 6:25). He was called Pinchas because he was destined to straighten that which is crooked, MEANING TO CORRECT THE DAMAGE OF NADAB AND ABIHU, AS EXPLAINED EARLIER, EVEN THOUGH NADAB AND ABIHU HAD NOT YET DIED. This is the essence of the verse, "And that which is to be has already been."

98. אֶלָּא הָכִי אוֹלִיפְנָא מִבּוּצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא חָס עַל יְקָרָא דִּלְהוֹן, וְאִתּוֹקַד גַּרְמֵיהוֹן לְגוֹ, וְנִשְׁמָתֵהוֹן לָא אִתְאֲבִידוּ, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא. ות"ח עַד לָא מִיתוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֺן כְּתִיב, וְאֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֺן לָקַח לוֹ וְגוֹ,' אִקְרֵי שְׁמֵיהּ פִּנְחָס, דַּהֲוָה זַמִּין לְאִתְתָּקְנָא עֲקִימָא, הה"ד וַאֲשֶׁר לִהְיוֹת כְּבָר הָיָה.

Congregation Creation

99. We have learned that before coming to the world, all the true pious people were prepared above and were given names. From the day that the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, even Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was prepared and came before the Holy One, blessed be He. The Holy One, blessed be He, called him by his name. How fortunate is his lot above and below. About him, is addressed the verse, "Let your father and your mother be glad" (Mishlei 23:25). "Your father" is the Holy One, blessed be He, and "your Mother" is the Congregation of Yisrael.

99. וְתָאנָא, כֻּלְּהוּ זַכָּאֵי קְשׁוֹט, עַד לָא יֵיתוּן לְעָלְמָא, כֻּלְּהוּ אִתְתְּקָנוּ לְעֵילָּא, וְאִקְרוּן בִּשְׁמָהָן. וְר"ש בֶּן יוֹחָאי, מִן יוֹמָא דְּבָרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, הֲוָה אִזְדְּמַן קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְאִשְׁתְּכַח עִמֵּיהּ. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא קָרֵי לֵיהּ בִּשְׁמֵיהּ, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ לְעֵילָּא וְתַתָּא, עָלֵיהּ כְּתִיב יִשְׂמַח אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ, אָבִיךָ: דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וְאִמֶּךָ: דָּא כ"י.