There are two spirits

Synopsis

We read about the Strange Spirit and the Spirit of Defilement that descend to earth whenever men are defiled below. Rabbi Elazar talks about when the plague of leprosy is sent to a house and how the house can be purified. He tells how a man who wants to defile himself is defiled by bringing upon himself a second Spirit of Uncleanness; he must be destroyed for the world to be purified.

Holiness (Kedushah) Judgment Kedushah (Holiness) Plagues

48. HE EXPLAINS HIS WORDS: Come and behold, when men are defiled below, they are defiled in every respect, as we have already learned. When the Unclean Spirit is roused below, BY DRAWING THE ILLUMINATION OF THE LEFT SIDE FROM ABOVE DOWNWARDS, a strange spirit arises, FOR the Unclean Spirit below rouses another unclean spirit. It obtains permission to go down to the world. HE ASKS: What kind of permission DOES IT OBTAIN? HE ANSWERS: The same permission of Holiness that formerly ALWAYS came down and prevented THAT STRANGE SPIRIT FROM RULING. This spirit is no longer there BECAUSE OF THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT. For when it leaves, the Judgment, WHICH IS THE STRANGE SPIRIT, is revealed and confronts the sinners and augments Judgment. THEN THERE ARE two harmful spirits in the world, one is the spirit of Judgment NAMELY THE STRANGE SPIRIT and the Spirit of Defilement.

48. ות"ח, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּמִסְתַּאֲבִין בְּנֵי נָשָׁא לְתַתָּא, מִסְאֲבִין לוֹן בְּכֺלָּא, וְהָא אִתְּמַר. אֲבָל, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּרוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא אִתְּעַר לְתַתָּא, אִתְּעַר רוּחַ זָר, רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא דִּלְתַתָּא, אִתְּעַר רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא אָחֳרָא, וְאִתְיְהִיב לֵיהּ רְשׁוּתָא לְנַחְתָּא לְעָלְמָא. מַאי רְשׁוּתָא, רְשׁוּתָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה דַּהֲוָה נָחִית וּמָחֵי בֵּיהּ, לָא אִשְׁתְּכַח, וְאִסְתְּלַּק, וּכְדֵין אִתְגַּלְיָיא דִּינָא, לָקֳבְלֵיהוֹן דְּחַיָּיבִין, וְאוֹסִיף דִּינָא עַל דִּינֵיהּ, וּכְדֵין, תְּרֵין רוּחִין מִשְׁתַּכְּחִין בְּעָלְמָא, חַד, רוּחָא דְּדִינָא, וְחַד, רוּחָא דִּמְסָאֲבָא.

Leprosy Plagues Purification Stones

49. Rabbi Elazar said: Here I must say something that I have learned from my father. Come and behold: see what we learned here in relation to the plague in the house. When the Unclean Spirit rests upon a house and the Holy One, blessed be He, wants to purify that house, He sends a plague of leprosy there in order to make them denounce each other - THE SPIRIT OF THE PLAGUE FIGHTS THAT ONE OF THE UNCLEANNESS. Although the Unclean Spirit is gone from the house, that plague does not depart from the house AFTER OVERPOWERING THE SPIRIT OF DEFILEMENT until the house is shattered, stones, timbers, and all. Only then is the place purified.

49. א"ר אֶלְעָזָר, אִצְטְרִיכְנָא הָכָא לְמֵימַר מִלָּה דְּאוֹלִיפְנָא מֵאַבָּא. ת"ח, הָכָא יַלְפִינָן מִנֶּגַע דְּבֵיתָא. דְּכַד רוּחָא מִסְאֲבָא שַׁרְיָא בְּבֵיתָא וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעֵי לְדַכְּאָה לֵיהּ, שָׁדַר נֶגַע צָרַעַת בְּבֵיתָא, לְקַטְרְגָא דָּא בְּדָא, וְהַהוּא נֶגַע לָא אַעְדֵּי מִבֵּיתָא, ואע"ג דְּרוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא אִסְתְּלַּק מֵהַהוּא בֵּיתָא, עַד דְּיִנְתְּצוּן בֵּיתָא, אֲבָנִין וְאָעִין וְכֺלָּא, כְּדֵין אִתְדָּכֵי אַתְרָא.

Body Judgment Plagues Purification

50. When a man is defiled and arouses the Unclean Spirit to rest upon him and the Holy One, blessed be He, wants to purify the world, He arouses AGAINST HIM a spirit of Stern Judgment that remains in the world and rests upon that Unclean Spirit. They fight each other until He removes THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT from the world. That spirit of harsh Judgment OF THE PLAGUE THAT IT CAUSED TO DEPART FROM THE WORLD does not depart from the place until it is completely shattered, NAMELY THE BODY, the limbs, the bones and everything. Only then is the world purified; the Unclean Spirits are removed, and the world is in a state of cleanliness.

50. כְּהַאי גַּוְונָא, מַאן דְּאִסְתְּאָב וְאִתְּעַר רוּחָא מִסְאֲבָא וְשָׁארִי עֲלוֹי, כַּד בָּעֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְדַכְּאָה עָלְמָא, אִתְּעַר רוּחַ דִּינָא תַּקִּיפָא, וְאִשְׁתְּכַח בְּעָלְמָא וְשַׁרְיָא עַל הַהוּא רוּחָא מִסְאֲבָא, וּמְקַטְרְגֵי דָּא בְּדָא, עַד דְּיִתְעַבָּר מֵעָלְמָא, וְהַהוּא רוּחָא דִּינָא תַּקִּיפָא, לָא אִסְתְּלַּק מֵאַתְרֵיהּ עַד דְּיִנָּתֵץ אֲתַר, שַׁיְיפִין וְגַרְמִין וְכֺלָּא, כְּדֵין אִתְדָּכֵי עָלְמָא וְאִתְעַבְּרוּ מִנֵּיהּ רוּחִין מִסְאֲבִין, וְעָלְמָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בְּדַכְיוּ.

Holiness (Kedushah) Kedushah (Holiness) Morning Righteous World to Come, The

51. Therefore, we have learned that when a man wants to defile himself, he is indeed defiled, FOR THE SECOND SPIRIT OF UNCLEANNESS REMOVES THE FIRST ONE, AS IT IS SAID ABOVE. Woe to the man upon whom rests an Unclean Spirit that dwells with him in the world, for it is well known that the Holy One, blessed be He, desires to remove it from the world; THEREFORE, HE DEFILES HIM MORE, AS SAID. Happy are the righteous who are Holy and appear before the Holy King in their Holiness, and upon whom a Spirit of Holiness rests in this world and in the World to Come. When the morning came, they went on their way.

51. וְעַל דָּא תָּנֵינָן, אָתָא לְאִסְתַּאֲבָא מִסְאֲבִין לֵיהּ וַדַּאי. וַוי לֵיהּ לב"נ כַּד שָׁארִי עָלֵיהּ רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא, וְאִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּיהּ בְּעָלְמָא, דְּוַדַּאי לִינְדַע, דְּקוּדְשָׁא ב"ה בָּעֵי לְבַעֲרָא לֵיהּ מִן עָלְמָא. זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּא דְּכֻלְּהוּ קַדִּישִׁין, וְאִשְׁתְּכָחוּ בִּקְדוּשָּׁה קָמֵי מַלְכָּא קַדִישָׁא, וְשַׁרְיָא עָלַיְיהוּ רוּחַ קַדִּישָׁא, בְּהַאי עָלְמָא וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. כֵּיוָן דְּאָתָא צַפְרָא קָמוּ אַזְלוּ.