Reincarnation

Synopsis

We are told about the secret of reincarnation, that light can come out of darkness. Darkness comes out of light when drops of semen are mixed in the daughter of a strange El - a man's good should not be mingled with evil. We read how a man can attain a Neshamah through his repentance and study of Torah even if he was reincarnated in a body that consists of good and evil in order to receive punishment. Average people have half their merits below and half their transgressions below; completely evil people have all their transgressions above and their merits below; completely righteous people have all their merits above and their transgressions below.

Abraham Darkness Esau Idolatry Isaac Ishmael Light Reincarnation Terah

64. AND HE REPLIES: Surely this pertains to the secret of reincarnation: 'causes the light to vanish before the darkness,' NAMELY Abraham's servant who came out of darkness, the issue of Ham. It suffices for the servant to be like his master, Abraham, who came from the idolatrous Terah, the idol worshiper! HE THEREFORE CAME OUT OF THE CURSED AND DARKNESS AND BECAME BLESSED OF HASHEM LIKE ABRAHAM WHO CAME OUT FROM TERAH, ALSO LIGHT FROM DARKNESS. 'And darkness before the light:' this is Ishmael who came out from Abraham, and Esau from Isaac.

64. אֶלָּא וַדַּאי הָכָא בְּרָזָא דְּגִלְגּוּלָא, גּוֹלֵל אוֹר מִפְּנֵי חֹשֶׁךְ, עַבְדָּא דְּאַבְרָהָם דְּנָפַק מֵחֹשֶׁךְ, וְדָא זַרְעָא דְּחָם, דַּיוֹ לְעֶבֶד לִהְיוֹת כְּרַבּוֹ דְּאִיהוּ אַבְרָהָם, דְּנָפַק מִתֶּרַח עוֹבֵד עֲ"ז. וְחֹשֶׁךְ מִפְּנֵי אוֹר, דָּא יִשְׁמָעֵאל דְּנָפַק מֵאַבְרָהָם, וְעֵשָׂו מִיִּצְחָק.

Darkness Daughter Evil Ishmael Light Machalat Semen Tree

65. The mystery of this is that this is caused by the mixture of drops OF SEMEN in a place it does not belong. This is he who mingles his drop with a maid, Machalat, the daughter of Ishmael, WHO IS AN EVIL KLIPAH, or a daughter of a strange El, NAMELY THE DAUGHTER OF THE HEATHEN, who are evil and darkness, while his drop is goodness and light, IN THE SECRET OF THE VERSE, "And Elohim saw the light that it was good" (Beresheet 1:4). He who mingles good with evil transgresses the words of His Master, who said, "But of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat of it" (Beresheet 2:17).

65. וְרָזָא תַּעֲרוֹבֶת טִפִּין, בַּאֲתַר דְּלָאו דִּילֵיהּ גָּרִים דָּא. מַאן דְּעָרִיב טִפָּה דִּילֵיהּ, בְּשִׁפְחָה מַחֲלַת בַּת יִשְׁמָעֵאל, אוֹ בְּבַת אֵל נֵכָר, דְּאִינּוּן רָע חֹשֶׁךְ, וְטִפָּה דִּילֵיהּ טוֹב אוֹר, וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב. מְעָרַב טוֹב עִם רָע, עָבַר עַל מֵימְרָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, דְּאָמַר וּמֵעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ.

Body Breath Creation Darkness Evil Light Neshamah (Soul) Soul (Neshamah) Torah World to Come, The

66. The Holy One, blessed be He, with that which the man mingled, puts him together and reincarnates him so as to receive punishment; THAT IS, HE BRINGS HIM INSIDE A BODY WHICH CONSISTS OF GOOD AND EVIL. If he repents, studies the Torah, and separates good from evil - FOR BY STUDYING prohibitions and license, defilement and purity, what is fit and unfit, that evil is separated from good, as it says of Him, "AND HASHEM ELOHIM FORMED (HEB. VAYYITZER) MAN" (BERESHEET 2:7). Vayyitzer IS SPELLED WITH TWO YUD'S, TO SHOW THAT MAN IS TWICE CREATED, a creation for good and a creation for evil. And through the Torah he separates them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, bequeaths him a Soul from Him, so he will rule them both, the one which is GOODNESS AND light, the World to Come, and the other, which is EVIL AND darkness, this world. Hence, it is written: "and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Ibid.).

66. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּהַהוּא דְּעִרֶב, אַרְכִּיב לֵיהּ, וְאַיְיתֵי לֵיהּ בְּגִלְגּוּלָא לְקַבְּלָא עוֹנְשֵׁיהּ. חָזַר בְּתִיּוּבְתָּא, אִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאַפְרִישׁ טוֹב מֵרָע, דְּאִינּוּן אָסוּר וְהֶתֵּר, טוּמְאָה וְטָהֳרָה, כָּשֵׁר וּפָסוּל. בְּדָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ רָע מִטּוֹב, דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ וַיִּיצֶר, יִצְירֵהּ לְטָב, וִיצִירָה לְבִישׁ. בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא אַפְרִישׁ לוֹן, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָרִית לֵיהּ נִשְׁמְתָא מִנֵּיהּ, לְמֶהֱוֵי שַׁלְטָא עַל תַּרְוַויְיהוּ, בְּחַד דְּאִיהוּ אוֹר. עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. וּבְחַד דְּאִיהוּ חֹשֶׁךְ, עָלְמָא דֵּין. הה"ד וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים.

Deeds Esther Evil Righteous

67. MAN IS JUDGED according to his merits and evil actions. As we explained, he who does one good deed is treated well. He who is average, is a person whose merits and transgressions are balanced, the half of merits is below and the half of transgressions below. This is the secret of, "What is your petition, and it shall be granted you: and what is your request? Even to half the kingdom it shall be performed" (Esther 5:6). THAT IS, IF THERE BE A HALF KINGDOM, THE HALF OF MERITS, THEN IT SHALL BE PERFORMED; THE PETITION AND REQUEST IS ACCEPTED. In the case of a completely righteous man, all his merits are above and his transgressions below. For a completely evil man, his transgressions are above and his merits are down below.

67. וּכְפוּם זַכְוָון וְחוֹבִין. כְּמָה דְּאוּקְמוּהָ, הָעוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה אַחַת מְטִיבִין לוֹ. בֵּינוֹנִי, זַכְוָון וְחוֹבוֹי שְׁקִילִין, פָּלְגוּ זַכְוָון לְתַתָּא וּפַלְגּוּ חוֹבוֹי לְתַתָּא, וְרָזָא דָּא מַה שְּׁאֵלָתֵךְ וְיִּנָתֶן לָךְ וּמַה בַּקָּשָׁתֵךְ עַד חֲצִי הַמַּלְכוּת וְתֵעָשׂ. צַדִּיק גָּמוּר, כָּל זַכְווֹי לְעֵילָּא, וְחוֹבוֹי לְתַתָּא. רָשָׁע גָּמוּר, חוֹבוֹי לְעֵילָּא, וְזַכְווֹי לְתַתָּא.

Eyes Grades Repentance Righteous Sin Wicked Wickedness

68. The sin of a man who commits it in public pertains to two grades, NAMELY TWO MANNERS. If he does penance in public, THAT IS, ACCORDING TO THE SIN THAT WAS COMMITTED IN PUBLIC, HE IS SEATED IN THAT WORLD among the righteous, who are familiar with the laws of the Holy One, blessed be He, and refrain from sinning. IF HE REPENTS secretly, HE IS NOT SEATED AMONG THE RIGHTEOUS, BECAUSE HIS SIN IS NOT TOTALLY ANNULLED. RATHER, HE IS SEATED among the wicked men, WHO ENVY HIM HIS REPENTANCE, so that the verse will be fulfilled which says, "But the eyes of the wicked shall fail" (Iyov 11: 20).

68. וב"נ דְּחָב בְּאִתְגַּלְיָיא, בִּתְרֵין דַּרְגִּין אִיהוּ, אִי חָזַר בְּתִיּוּבְתָּא בְּאִתְגַּלְיָיא, בֵּין צַדִּיקַיָּיא, בְּגִין דְּיַדְעִין דִּינוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְנַטְרִין גַּרְמַיְיהוּ מִלְּמֵחֱטֵי. וּבְאִתְכַּסְּיָיא, בֵּין רַשִׁיעַיָּיא, לְקַיֵּים בְּהוּ וְעֵינֵי רְשָׁעִים תִּכְלֶינָה.