Pekudei
Door Fear Judgment Sin Wheel Wicked Wickedness

3. Rabbi Yosi opened the discussion with the verse: "Oh how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have performed for those who trust in You in the sight of the sons of men!" (Tehilim 31:20). "Oh how great is Your goodness" MEANS how much should people observe and know the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, for every day a voice resounds and proclaims, saying, 'Beware you people, close the doors of sins, stay away from the net that captures PEOPLE, before your legs are caught in the net.' There is a wheel constantly turning in the world, THE SUPERNAL JUDGMENT. It goes up and down, LIFTS UP AND BRINGS DOWN PEOPLE. Woe to those whose legs are pushed from the wheel, for they fall into a pit kept for the wicked people of the world.

3. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי פָּתַח, מָה רַב טוּבְךָ אֲשֶׁר צָפַנְתָּ לִּירֵאֶיךָ פָּעַלְתָּ לַחוֹסִים בָּךְ נֶגֶד בְּנֵי אָדָם. מָה רַב טוּבְךָ. כַּמָה אִית לוֹן לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא, לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא וּלְמִנְדַּע בְּאוֹרְחוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּהָא בְּכָל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא קָלָא נָפִיק, וְאַכְרִיז וְאָמַר, אִסְתַּמְרוּ בְּנֵי עָלְמָא, טְרוּקוּ גַּלֵּי חוֹבִין, אִסְתָּלָּקוּ מֵרְשָׁתָא דְּתָפִיס, עַד לָא יִתָּפְסוּן רַגְלַיְיכוּ בְּהַאי רְשָׁתָא. גַּלְגָּלָּא סָחֲרָא תָּדִיר, סָלִיק וְנָחִית. וַוי לְאִינּוּן דְּדַחְיָין רַגְלַיְיהוּ מִגּוֹ גַּלְגָּלָּא, דְּהָא נַפְלֵי לְגוֹ עוּמְקָא, דְּטָמִיר לְאִינּוּן חַיָּיבֵי עָלְמָא.

Fear Heart Light Lights Righteous World to Come, The

4. Woe to those who fall INTO THAT SAID PIT, for they will never rise nor be illuminated by the light stored up for the righteous in the World to Come. Happy are the righteous in the World to Come, for many lights are stored up AND KEPT for them, many delights of that world are laid up for them as it is said, "Oh how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You." We already explained that, "Oh how great is Your goodness," refers to the light stored up for the righteous in the World to Come, as it is written, "And Elohim saw the light, that it was good" (Beresheet 1:4), and - "light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart" (Tehilim 97:11), "SOWN" MEANING STORED UP. Upon this IT IS WRITTEN, "Oh how great is Your goodness."

4. וַוי לְאִינּוּן דְּנַפְלִין וְלָא יְקוּמוּן, וְלָא יִנְהֲרוּ בִּנְהוֹרָא דְּגָנִיז לְצַדִּיקַיָּיא לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, דְּכַמָּה נְהוֹרִין גְּנִיזִין לוֹן, כַּמָה עִדּוּנִין בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא טְמִירִין לוֹן, דִּכְתִּיב מָה רַב טוּבְךָ אֲשֶׁר צָפַנְתָּ לִּירֵאֶיךָ. מָה רַב טוּבְךָ, הָא אוּקְמוּהָ, דָּא הוּא אוֹר דְּגָנִיז לְצַדִּיקַיָּיא לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, דִּכְתִּיב וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב, וּכְתִיב אוֹר זָרוּעַ לַצַּדִּיק וּלְיִשְׁרֵי לֵב שִׂמְחָה. וְעַל דָּא מָה רַב טוּבְךָ.

Light Righteous Sin Wicked Wickedness World to Come, The

5. It is written here, "Oh how great is Your goodness," and elsewhere, "And Elohim saw the light, that it was good." AS IT IS SAID, THERE UPON THE LIGHT THAT IT IS GOOD, SO HERE "YOUR GOODNESS" MEANS 'YOUR LIGHT'. "Which You have laid up," MEANS that when the Holy One, blessed be He looked at the light, He also looked at the wicked destined to commit sins in the world, and so He stored up that light to grant it to the righteous in the World to Come, as we learned.

5. כְּתִיב הָכָא מָה רַב טוּבְךָ, וּכְתִיב הָתָם וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב. אֲשֶׁר צָפַנְתָּ, בְּגִין דְּאִסְתָּכַּל קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּהַהוּא נְהוֹרָא, וְאִסְתָּכַּל בְּאִינּוּן חַיָּיבַיָּא דִּזְמִינִין לְמֶחֱטֵי בְּעָלְמָא, וְגָנִיז לֵיהּ לְהַהוּא נְהוֹרָא, לְמִזְכֵּי בֵּיהּ צַדִּיקַיָּיא לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר.

Abraham Creation Earth Heaven Hebrew Letters Light Righteous

6. It is said, "You have performed for those who trust in You." HE ASKS: Why IS IT SAID first "laid up" and then "performed"? HE ANSWERS THAT "laid up" MEANS, as we said, STORED FOR THE RIGHTEOUS. "Performed" MEANS THAT by that stored light, the Holy One, blessed be He performed the workmanship of the world. We know this from the verse, "These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were created" (Beresheet 2:4). It is written, 'Abraham', BECAUSE THE LETTERS OF "WHEN THEY WERE CREATED (HEB. BEHIBAR'AM)" ARE THE SAME LETTERS AS 'BY ABRAHAM' (HEB. BEABRAHAM). For the light of Abraham, WHICH IS CHESED, is stored up by the Holy One, blessed be He, who, by using it, performed the building of the world, as it is written - "You have performed for those who trust in You," NAMELY, for those who sit under the shade of the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIS SHADE.

6. פָּעַלְתָּ, בְּקַדְמֵיתָא צָפַנְתָּ, וּלְבָתַר פָּעַלְתָּ. אֶלָּא צָפַנְתָּ כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר. פָּעַלְתָּ בְּגִין דְּהַהוּא נְהוֹרָא דְּגָנִיז, בֵּיהּ עָבִיד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אוּמָנוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא. מְנָלָן. דִּכְתִּיב, אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּרְאָם, בְּאַבְרָהָם כְּתִיב, וְהַהוּא נְהוֹרָא דְּאַבְרָהָם, גָּנִיז לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּבֵיהּ עָבִיד אוּמָנוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא, דִּכְתִּיב פָּעַלְתָּ לַחוֹסִים בָּךְ, לְאִינּוּן דְּיַתְבֵי תְּחוֹת צִלָּא דְּקוּדְשָׁא ב"ה.

Light Tabernacle

7. "...In the sight of the sons of men": THE MEANING OF THIS IS that this construction, done by that light, sustains people in the world and is their existence. And though the light is stored up, people live by it in this world. "Performed" refers to the building of this world according to an orderly plan. The building of the world is like the building of the Tabernacle, that was constructed in the same manner as the world, as we explained.

7. נֶגֶד בְּנֵי אָדָם, דְּהָא בְּהַאי אוּמָנוּתָא דְּאִתְעָבֵיד בְּהַאי נְהוֹרָא, קַיְימִין בְּנֵי נָשָׁא בְּעָלְמָא, וְקִיּוּמָא דִּילְהוֹן הֲוֵי. אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ גָּנִיז, בֵּיהּ קַיְימִין בְּנֵי נָשָׁא בְּעָלְמָא דֵּין. פָּעַלְתָּ, אוּמָנוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא דָּא, דְּבֵיהּ אִתְעָבֵיד כֹּלָּא בְּחוּשְׁבָּנָא, אוּמָנוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא, כְּגַוְונָא דָּא אוּמָנוּתָא דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא, דְּאִיהוּ אוּמָנוּתָא כְּגַוְונָא דְּעָלְמָא, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא.

Abraham Bezalel Earth Heaven Judah Light Moses Tabernacle Tribes

8. It is written here, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle" (Shemot 38:21), and elsewhere, "These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth." THIS INDICATES THAT THE ACTIONS ARE THE SAME IN BOTH CASES, for all the generations produced by the heaven and earth were formed and came out by the power of the stored light, and also the accounts of the Tabernacle came out by that power OF THE STORED LIGHT. From where do we know that? From the verse, "And Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur, of the tribe of Judah" (Shemot 38:22), of the right side, WHICH IS ABRAHAM, THE STORED LIGHT AS SAID, and with him Aholiav, of the left side, and the Tabernacle, WHICH IS MALCHUT, was founded by Right and Left. And Moses, who was between them, THE SECRET OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN, founded it.

8. כְּתִיב הָכָא אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וּכְתִיב הָתָם אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ. בְּגִין דְּכָל אִינּוּן תּוֹלְדִין דְּעַבְדוּ וְאַפִּיקוּ שְׁמַיָא וְאַרְעָא, כֻּלְּהוּ בְּחֵילָא דְּהַהוּא נְהוֹרָא דְּגָנִיז אִתְעָבִידוּ וְנַפְקוּ. פְּקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן בְּהַהוּא חֵילָא נַפְקוּ. מְנָלָן. דִּכְתִּיב וּבְצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה, דָּא אִיהוּ מִסִּטְרָא דִּימִינָא. וְאִתּוֹ אָהֳלִיאָב דָּא אִיהוּ מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׂמָאלָא. וּמַשְׁכְּנָא מִסִּטְרָא דִּימִינָא וּשְׂמָאלָא אִתְּקַם וְאִתְעָבֵיד. וּמֹשֶׁה דַּהֲוָה בֵּינַיְיהוּ, אוֹקִים לֵיהּ.