"When the wicked sprout like grass"

Synopsis

Rabbi Aba, Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Chizkiyah are studying the Torah together, and Rabbi Chizkiyah wonders why God is so patient in judging the wicked. He says that Rabbi Shimon told him this is because the judgment that God desires is a clear, loving and joyful judgment. He does not want the judgment of defilement; therefore he doesn't mix the two. He will refrain from judging the wicked until evil is lost from the World to Come. Then Rabbi Shimon talks about "When the wicked sprout like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed forever," and explains that the wicked shall be severed from their roots. One more explanation of God's patience is that this world is part of the Other Side and it is opposed to the World to Come that is part of the side of holiness. One is destined for the wicked and the other for the righteous.

Evil Judgment Lamps Mercy Mountains Torah Wicked Wickedness

61. Rabbi Aba and Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Chizkiyah were sitting and studying the Torah. Rabbi Chizkiyah said to Rabbi Aba: Indeed we see that the Holy One, blessed be He desires to have Judgment upon everything, so the two will mix together, JUDGMENT AND MERCY. Nevertheless, He withholds Judgment from the wicked of the world. Why, if He is desirous of Judgment, remove it from the evil? NAMELY, WHY IS HE SO PATIENT? He said to him: How many mountains, WISE MEN, have been uprooted by this, NOT KNOWING THE TRUE MEANING THEREOF. But the holy luminary revealed several things concerning the matter.

61. רִבִּי אַבָּא רִבִּי יוֹסֵי וְרִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה הֲווֹ יַתְבִין וְלָעָאן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אָמַר לֵיהּ ר' חִזְקִיָּה לר' אַבָּא, הָא חֲמֵינָן דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרְעֵי בְּדִינָא בְּכֹלָּא, לְאִתְעָרְבָא דָּא בְּדָא, וְאִיהוּ אָרִיךְ דִּינָא בְּחַיָּיבֵי עָלְמָא, אִי אִיהוּ אִתְעְרֵי בְּדִינָא, אֲמַאי סָלִיק לֵיהּ מֵחַיָּיבַיָּא. אָמַר לֵיהּ, כַּמָה טוּרִין אִתְעַקְּרוּ בְּמִלָּה דָּא, אֲבָל כַּמָה מִלִּין גַּלֵּי בּוּצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא בְּהַאי.

Evil Gold Judgment Love Wicked Wickedness Wine World to Come, The

62. Come and see: The Judgment that the Holy One, blessed be He is desirous of, is a clear Judgment, that stirs love and joy, NAMELY, THE JUDGMENT OF THE LEFT COLUMN AFTER JOINING THE RIGHT COLUMN, TO BECOME THE SECRET OF THE WINE THAT MAKES GLAD ELOHIM AND MEN, AND IS ALSO THE SECRET OF GOLD. But the wicked, when in the world, are under Judgment of defilement, the Judgment which the Holy One, blessed be He does not want at all. Therefore, there must not be mixing of the holy Judgment with the defiled Judgment, until THE DEFILED JUDGMENT is exterminated of itself, and causes EVIL to be lost from the World to Come, for the defiled Judgment in it causes it to be destroyed.

62. וְת"ח, דִּינָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרְעֵי בֵּיהּ, אִיהוּ דִּינָא בָּרִיר, אִיהוּ דִּינָא דְּאִתְּעַר רְחִימוּ וְחֶדְוָה. אֲבָל חַיָּיבַיָּא כַּד אִינּוּן בְּעָלְמָא, כֻּלְּהוּ דִּינָא דְּזוּהֲמָא. כֻּלְּהוּ דִּינָא דְּלָא אִתְרְעֵי בֵּיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כְּלָל. וְע"ד, לָא בָּעֵי לְאִתְעָרְבָא דִּינָא קַדִּישָׁא בְּדִינָא מִסְאֲבָא דְּזוּהֲמָא, עַד דְּאִיהוּ אִשְׁתְּצֵי מִגַּרְמֵיהּ, וּלְאוֹבָדָא לֵיהּ מִן עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, וְהַהוּא דִּינָא דְּזוּהֲמָא דְּבֵיהּ אִיהוּ אוֹבִיד לֵיהּ מֵעָלְמָא.

Dryness Tree Water Wicked Wickedness

63. He opened the discussion and said: "When the wicked sprout like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed forever" (Tehilim 92:8). This verse was explained. Nevertheless, come and see: "the wicked sprout like grass" MEANS just as grass on dry land becomes dry. And when it is given water, it blooms and the dryness disappears. Like a cut tree, when it flourishes again, grows only side branches growing upwards, but never a whole tree, as was before, NAMELY "THE WORKERS OF INIQUITY FLOURISH." And all that happens so "they shall be destroyed forever," that is, they will be severed from their root and from everything else.

63. פָּתַח וְאָמַר בִּפְרֹחַ רְשָׁעִים כְּמוֹ עֵשֶׂב וַיָּצִיצוּ כָּל פּוֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן לְהִשָּׁמְדָם עֲדֵי עַד, הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ, אֲבָל ת"ח, בִּפְרֹחַ רְשָׁעִים כְּמוֹ עֵשֶׂב. כְּהַאי עִשְׂבָּא דְּאִיהוּ בִּיבִישׁוּ דְּאַרְעָא, וְאִיהוּ יְבֵישָׁא, כַּד שָׁרָאן בֵּיהּ מַיָּא אַפְרִיחַ, וְהַהוּא יְבִישׁוּ אִתְפְּרַח. וּכְהַאי אִילָנָא קְצִיצָא דְּנָצִיץ, וְלָא סָלִיק אֶלָּא אִינּוּן פְּאֵרוֹת, לִסְטַר דָּא וְלִסְטַר דָּא, דְּאִינּוּן עַנְפִין דְּסַלְּקִין, וּלְעָלְמִין לָא סָלִיק אִילָנָא, כַּד הֲוָה בְּקַדְמֵיתָא לְמֶהֱוֵי אִילָנָא. וְכָל דָּא, לְהִשָּׁמְדָם עֲדֵי עַד, לְאַעְקְרָא לוֹן מִשָּׁרָשִׁין וּמִכֹּלָּא.

Crowns Holiness (Kedushah) Kedushah (Holiness) Other Side Righteous Wicked Wickedness World to Come, The

64. There is yet another secret in this, why the Holy One, blessed be He is long-suffering with the wicked in this world. It is because this world is the portion of the Other Side, and the World to Come is part of the side of holiness, and the portion of the righteous, where they will be adorned by the crown of the glory of their Master. These two sides stand the one against the other, THE WORLD TO COME, the side of holiness and THIS WORLD, the Other Side of defilement. This is destined for the righteous and that for the wicked. And all this corresponds to all that. Happy are the righteous, who have no part in this world, but in the World to Come.

64. תּוּ רָזָא אַחֲרָא אִית בְּהַאי, עַד דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָרִיךְ רוּגְזֵיהּ בְּחַיָּיבַיָּא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, בְּגִין דְּהַאי עָלְמָא, אִיהוּ חוּלָקָא דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא. וְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי אִיהוּ סִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה. וְאִיהוּ חוּלָקָא דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא, לְמֶהֱוֵי צַדִּיקַיָּיא אִינּוּן בַּעַטָרָא דִּיקָרָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן בֵּיהּ. וּתְרֵין סִטְרִין אִלֵּין, קַיְימִין דָּא לָקֳבֵל דָּא. דָּא סִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה. וְדָא סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא דִּמְסָאֲבָא. דָּא קַיְּימָא לְצַדִּיקַיָּיא, וְדָא קַיְּימָא לְרַשִׁיעַיָּיא, וְכֹלָּא דָּא לָקֳבֵל דָּא. זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא, דְּלֵית לוֹן חוּלָקָא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, אֶלָּא בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי.