140. Rabbi Aba was sitting one night studying Torah. Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Chizkiyah were present with him. Rabbi Yosi said: How hard-hearted are the people that they do not pay attention to that world's matters at all. Rabbi Aba said: It is the evil in the heart which infects all the organs of the body that does this to them. He opened the discussion saying, "There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men" (Kohelet 6:1). "There is an evil;" that is the evil force in the heart that wishes to rule this world's matters and does not pay attention at all to the matters of that world.
141. HE INQUIRES: Why is the heart evil? HE RESPONDS: The following verse proves this: "a man to whom the Elohim has given riches, wealth..." (Ibid. 2). This verse is difficult, since it says, "so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires" (Ibid.). Why then does it say, "yet Elohim does not give him power to eat of it" (Ibid.), seeing that he is not lacking for anything himself? HE RESPONDS: It is a secret and all of King Solomon's sayings are clothed with other words. They are like sayings of the Torah that are clothed with stories pertaining to THIS world.
142. Come and behold: It is necessary to look at the garment, WHICH IS WORLDLY STORIES, MEANING THAT ALTHOUGH YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE VERSE OUT OF ITS SIMPLE CONTEXT, this verse now says this. When a person goes about in this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, gives him riches in order to merit the World to Come, and he will have the capital OF HIS MONEY left over for himself. What is that capital? That MONEY that endures FOREVER. That is a place in which to store the soul. He therefore is required to leave behind him that capital, and this capital will be received by him after departing from this world.
143. This capital is the Tree of Life of that world, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, but is not present in this world, except for the fruits that come out of it. Therefore, one eats in this world the fruits that he merits, and the capital is kept for him in that world to gain with it the higher life above.
144. For he who contaminates himself and is carried away after his own GOOD, and does not deprive his soul and body of anything, that tree stays, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. But he does not place it in front of him with awe, so as to receive it above. Then, "yet Elohim does not give him power to eat of it" (Kohelet 6:2), and gain this wealth. Certainly, "a stranger eats it" (Ibid.), as it is written: "he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on" (Iyov 27:16). Therefore, a person needs to merit and gain in that world through that which the Holy One, blessed be He, gives him. Then he eats from it in this world, and the capital remains by him for the other world, so that he will be tied up in the bundle of life. Rabbi Yosi said: Most certainly, IT IS SO.
145. Rabbi Yosi also said that it is written: "and if You deal thus with me, kill me, I pray You, out of hand" (Bemidbar 11:15). HE INQUIRES: Did Moses, who was the most modest in the world, allow himself to get killed just because Yisrael were demanding from him food to eat? Why? Rabbi Aba said: I have learned this matter and it is a great secret. Moses did not get angry for himself and did not ask to be killed on account of Yisrael's demand TO EAT MEAT.
146. Come and behold: Moses was united above and he succeeded in matters to which no other prophet was connected. When the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses: "Behold, I will rain bread from the heaven for you" (Shemot 16:4), Moses rejoiced and thought, 'I will now certainly acquire this perfection, since in my merit there will be manna for Yisrael.' As soon as Moses noticed that they again descended to another level and demanded meat, saying, "and our soul loathes this miserable bread" (Bemidbar 21:5), he thought, 'My level is deteriorated, since for my sake Yisrael ate manna in the desert. Now I am blemished, Aaron is blemished, and Nahshon the son of Aminadab is blemished,' SINCE AARON AND NAHSHON WERE ATTACHED TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT OF MOSES.
147. Therefore, he said: '"And if You deal thus with me, kill me, I pray You, out of hand," since I have become as a female, WHICH IS MALCHUT, regarding her food, MEANING WITH THE MEAT THAT THEY WERE DEMANDING. I came down from the heaven that a the high degree, MEANING ZEIR ANPIN, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY LOATHED THE BREAD OF HEAVEN, to go down to the level of the female, TO THE CONSUMPTION OF MEAT. YET I am superior to all prophets of the world' - SINCE ALL PROPHETS USED 'COH' IN THEIR PROPHECY WHICH IS FEMININE, AND MOSES USED THE TERM 'ZEH' WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, REFERRED TO AS 'HEAVENS.' Therefore, he said, "And let me not see my own wretchedness" (Bemidbar 11:15). IT WAS surely CONSIDERED like death to descend to a lower level, SINCE DESCENDING FROM ONE LEVEL TO THE OTHER LEVEL IS CONSIDERED FOR ONE LIKE DYING.