"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your strength"

Synopsis

Rabbi Aba says that righteous men draw their strength from the power of God when they undertake to do His will. By awakening ourselves we awaken the holy and divine power, thus shattering any power that the Other Side may have had over us. Rabbi Aba tells us that the strength that includes deed and speech and knowledge and wisdom does not exist at all in Sheol. We hear that all men actually go to Sheol, but the righteous rise up again immediately, having gone there to bring up with them anyone who considered repentance but was unable to repent before he died.

Relevance

Reading these verses with great passion and effort is akin to performing spiritual deeds (the will of our Master) in this world with great strength. Correspondingly, Satan and the dark side of our nature are shattered by the force of the Creator, liberating us eternally from their influence. All of our own sins are cleansed by virtue of the Righteous so that none of us face the fate of Hell. Sheol, one of Hell's levels, is condemned and shut down permanently. But a moment before this occurs, the repenting wicked residing down there ascend out of this dimension through the virtue of the Righteous and our own efforts extended here.

In verse 134, the Zohar text says: His verdict of seventy years is torn up. This verse means that a man's judgments are abolished from his life. Here guilty verdicts procured against us in the Upper Worlds are torn up. Judgments are repealed, for us and for all mankind.

Amen Flame Hands Head Light Righteous Seventy Shechinah Strength Year

134. Then he began and said in the name of Rabbi Pinchas: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your strength" (Kohelet 9:10). How good it is for a man to try to fulfill the will of his Master while the flame is yet burning and resting on his head. For the light of that flame is strength resting upon him, and so is it written: "let the power of my Hashem be great" (Bemidbar 14:17). "the power of Hashem" - this is the power that rests on the head of the righteous and of all those who willingly undertake the will of their Master, WHICH IS THE SHECHINAH. And about this we have already learned: 'Whoever responds with all his power: 'Amen. May His great name be blessed...' - HIS VERDICT OF SEVENTY YEARS IS TORN UP.'

134. אוֹף הוּא פָּתַח וְאָמַר, מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דר' פִּנְחָס כֹּל אֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא יָדְךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּכֹחֲךָ עֲשֵׂה וְגוֹ,' כַּמָה יָאוּת לֵיהּ לב"נ בְּעוֹד דְּבוּצִינָא דָּלִיק וְשַׁרְיָא עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ, לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא וּלְמֶעְבַּד רְעוּתָא דְּמָארֵיהּ. בְּגִין דְּהַהוּא נְהוֹרָא דְּבוּצִינָא, אִיהִי כֹּ"חַ דְּשַׁרְיָא עָלֵיהּ. וע"ד כְּתִיב, יִגְדַּל נָא כֹּחַ יְיָ.' כֹּחַ יְיָ,' דָּא הוּא כֹּחַ, דְּשַׁרְיָא עַל רֵישֵׁיהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא, וְכֹל אִינּוּן דְּמִשְׁתַּדְּלִין בִּרְעוּתָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן. וְעַל דָּא תָּנֵינָן, כָּל הָעוֹנֶה אָמֵן יְהֵא שְׁמֵיהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ בְּכָל כֹּחוֹ.

Hands Holiness (Kedushah) Kedushah (Holiness) Other Side Strength

135. He surely has to awaken all his body parts with great power IN THE WORSHIP OF THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, for by means of this powerful awakening that he summons up, he also awakens that holy and supernal power, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and he is uplifted in holiness and shatters the power and hold of the Other Side. Hence IT IS WRITTEN: "WHATEVER YOUR HAND FINDS TO DO, DO IT WITH YOUR STRENGTH," FOR IT IS with your own strength that you must perform the will of your Master.

135. וַדַּאי אִצְטְרִיךְ לְאִתְּעָרָא כָּל שַׁיְיפוֹי בְּחֵילָא תַּקִּיף בְּגִין דִּבְאִתְּעָרוּתָא תַּקִּיף דְּאִתָּקַף, אִתְּעַר הַהוּא כֹּחַ קַדִּישָׁא עִלָּאָה, וְאִסְתַּלָּק גּוֹ קוּדְשָׁא וְאִתְּבַּר חֵילָא וְתּוּקְפָּא דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא. וע"ד בְּכֹחֲךָ, אִצְטְרִיךְ לְמֶעְבַּד רְעוּתָא דְּמָארָךְ.

Astrology Deeds Moon Sheol Thought Wisdom Zeir Anpin

136. "For there is not work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in Sheol, whither you go" (Ibid.). For it is in this power, that there is deed; namely, the effort to engage in this world is called 'deed,' namely the world of action, to complement the end of the thought. Device refers to the world that depends on speech, NAMELY MALCHUT, WHICH IS CALLED 'SPEECH,' for a calculation of device depends on speech, and this is why all the numerology and the solstices and equinoxes are based on the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT. "knowledge" refers to the secret of the six ends, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, which are dependent on thought, and are called the world of that thought, WHICH IS BINAH. "wisdom" REFERS TO CHOCHMAH, on which everything is dependent, AS IT IS SAID: "IN WISDOM HAVE YOU MADE THEM ALL" (TEHILIM 104:24).

136. כִּי אֵין מַעֲשֵׂה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְגוֹ,' בְּגִין דִּבְהַהוּא כֹּחַ אִית מַעֲשֶׂה, אִשְׁתַּדְּלוּתָא לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא דְּאִקְרֵי מַעֲשֵׂה, עָלְמָא דְּעוֹבָדָא, לְמִשְׁלָם סוֹפָא דְּמַחֲשָׁבָה. וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן, דָּא הוּא עָלְמָא, דְּתַלְיָא בְּדִבּוּרָא, דְּהָא חֶשְׁבּוֹן בְּדִבּוּרָא תַּלְיָיא. וע"ד, כָּל גִּימַטְרִיּאוֹת, וּתְקוּפִין, וְעִבּוּרִין דְּעָלְמָא, בְּסִיהֲרָא הֲווֹ. וְדַעַת, דָּא אִיהוּ רָזָא דְּשִׁית סִטְרִין, דְּתַּלְיָין בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה, וְאִקְרוּן עָלְמָא דְּהַהוּא מַחֲשָׁבָה. וְחָכְמָה, דְּכֹלָּא תַּלְיָיא מִנֵּיהּ.

Deeds Gehenom (Hell) Grades Head Hell (Gehenom) Other Side Righteous Shechinah Sheol Strength Wisdom

137. And all of them, THE DEED, OR CALCULATION, DEVICE, KNOWLEDGE, AND WISDOM, are included in that same strength, WHICH IS THE SHECHINAH THAT RESTS ON THE HEAD OF THE RIGHTEOUS. This is not the case on the side of Sheol, which is a level of Gehenom. For the end of everyone who does not try with this strength to enter it by means of deed, accounting device, knowledge, and wisdom in this world will eventually arrive in Sheol, where there is no deed, nor accounting device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom. For the Other Side is the way to Sheol, as it is written: "Her house is the way to Sheol" (Mishlei 7:27). Whoever becomes listless in relation to that holy strength is attacked by the Other Side, whose house is Sheol.

137. וְכָל אִלֵּין כְּלִילָן בְּהַהוּא כֹּחַ, מַה דְּלָאו הָכִי בְּסִטְרָא דִּשְׁאוֹל, דַּרְגָּא דְּגֵיהִנָּם. דְּהָא כָּל ב"נ דְּלָא אִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּהַאי כֹּ"חַ, בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, לְאַעְלָאָה בֵּיהּ, בְּמַעֲשֶׂה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וָדַעַת וְחָכְמָה, סוֹפֵיהּ לְאַעְלָאָה בַּשְּׁאוֹל, דְּלֵית בֵּיהּ מַעֲשֵׂה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְדַעַת וְחָכְמָה. דְּהָא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, אֹרַח שְׁאוֹל אִיהִי, דִּכְתִּיב, דַּרְכֵי שְׁאוֹל בֵּיתָהּ. מַאן דְּאִתְרַפֵּי מֵהַאי כֹּ"חַ קַדִּישָׁא, אַתְּקַף בֵּיהּ סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא, דִּשְׁאוֹל בֵּיתָהּ.

Repentance Righteous Samuel Sheol Wicked Wickedness

138. "Whither you go:" HE ASKS, Do, indeed, all men go there to Sheol? HE ANSWERS, Yes, but THE RIGHTEOUS rise up again immediately, as it is written: "He brings down to Sheol, and brings up" (I Shmuel 2:6). This verse, however, is not to be applied to the wicked who never for a moment considered repentance, for they go down TO SHEOL and do not ascend again. Even the completely righteous go down there. Why should this be? It is because they take from there a number of wicked and bring them up from there. Who are the ones THAT THEY BRING UP? They who considered repentance in this world, but were unable to repent for they died. And it is for these wicked people that the righteous go down to Sheol and take them and bring them up from there.

138. אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ שָׁמָּה, וְכִי כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא אָזְלֵי לִשְׁאוֹל. אִין. אֲבָל סַלְּקִין מִיַּד, דִּכְתִּיב, מוֹרִיד שְׁאוֹל וַיָּעַל. בַּר אִינּוּן חַיָּיבִין, דְּלָא הִרְהֵרוּ תְּשׁוּבָה לְעָלְמִין, דְּנַחְתִּין וְלָא סַלְּקִין. וַאֲפִילּוּ צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִים נַחְתִּין תַּמָּן. אֲמַאי נַחְתִּין. בְּגִין דְּנַטְלִין כַּמָה חַיָּיבִין מִתַּמָּן, וְסַלְּקִין לוֹן לְעֵילָּא. וּמַאן אִינּוּן. אִינּוּן דְּהִרְהֵרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְלָא יָכִילוּ, וְאִסְתְּלָּקוּ מִן עָלְמָא. וְצַדִּיקַיָּיא נַחְתִּין בְּגִינֵיהוֹן דְּחַיָּיבִין גּוֹ שְׁאוֹל, וְנַטְלִין לוֹן, וְסַלְּקִין לוֹן מִן תַּמָּן.