"A song of ascents. They who trust in Hashem"

Synopsis

Rabbi Shimon says, "A song of ascents. They who trust in the Creator shall be like Mount Tzion, which cannot be removed, but abides forever." We learn that "ascents" means levels upon levels in the 'secret of fifty years below and the fifty gates of Binah above'. "They who trust in the Creator" are the righteous. The rabbis go on to talk about "But the righteous are bold as a lion." Then they travel on to a city, and after dark Rabbi Shimon expresses his happiness for a perfect day and a perfect night during which they have indeed merited the World to Come.

Relevance

This section is hard to understand on the surface, yet bubbling underneath is a pure divine teaching masked in metaphors. Trust in the Creator is, perhaps, the most difficult trait a man can develop. Trust does not pertain to blind faith. Trust is connected to vision that is vast, sweeping, able to perceive the cause and effect principle at work in our lives. Trust includes the ability to observe order beneath chaos, the wisdom to recognize blessing within adversity, the self-honesty to detect the cause behind calamity. It encompasses awareness of the divinity, design, and purpose behind life's joys, and all of its obstacles.

It is true that when affliction and hardship strike, doubts begin to surface in a man's mind. He becomes uncertain about the reality of the Creator. He questions the justice in the universe. He fears for his own future. Thus, we learn that if we have trust, we shall be stable as the mountain, we shall be able to ascend to our own greatest heights. Our moments of pain will be brief, and we shall experience the perfection that is the Light of the Creator, now and in the World to Come.

This mystical passage ignites trust, truth, and certainty within our hearts, vanishing forever the doubts that have tainted the hearts of men through all the ages.

Deeds Fifty Gates Grades Levites Merit Righteous Singing Year Zion

307. He opened the discussion saying, "A song of ascents. They who trust in Hashem shall be like Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abides forever" (Tehilim 125:1). This passage has been established, but these are holy supernal levels from the sides of supernal Gvurot THAT ARE IN BINAH. They are similar to the Levites below, who are THE ASPECT OF ascents, MEANING levels upon levels in the secret of fifty years OF WHICH IT IS WRITTEN, "AND FROM THE AGE OF FIFTY YEARS THEY SHALL GO OUT OF THE RANKS OF THE SERVICE" (BEMIDBAR 8:25), WHICH ALLUDES TO THE FIFTY GATES OF BINAH. This is, "A song of ascents. They who trust in Hashem shall be like Mount Zion," these are the righteous, who trust in Him BY MERIT of their GOOD deeds.

307. פָּתַח וְאָמַר, שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת הַבּוֹטְחִים בַּיְיָ' כְּהַר צִיּוֹן לֹא יִמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם יֵשֵׁב, הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ. אֲבָל שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת תּוּשַׁבַּחְתָּא דְּקַאמְרֵי אִינּוּן דַּרְגִּין קַדִּישִׁין עִלָּאִין, מִסִּטְרָא דִּגְבוּרָן עִלָּאִין, וְאִינּוּן כְּגַוְונָא דְּלֵוָאֵי לְתַתָּא, וְאִינּוּן מַעֲלוֹת, דַּרְגִּין עַל דַּרְגִּין, וּפָלְחִין בְּרָזָא דְּחַמְשִׁין שְׁנִין. וְהַאי אִיהוּ שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת הַבֹּטְחִים בַּיְיָ' כְּהַר צִיּוֹן דָּא אִינּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא, דְּאִינּוּן מִתְרַחֲצָן בֵּיהּ בְּעוֹבָדִין דִּלְהוֹן.

Abraham Deeds Egypt Fear Iron Jacob Lion Righteous

308. It is written, "But the righteous are bold as a lion" (Mishlei 28:1). HE QUESTIONS, The righteous do not depend upon their deeds at all and they are constantly in fear, like Abraham, as it is written of him, "And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter to Egypt... " (Beresheet 12:11). Like Isaac, of them it is written, "For he feared to say, 'She is my wife'" (Beresheet 26:7). As Jacob, of whom it is written, "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed" (Beresheet 32:8). If they did not depend upon their deeds, certainly the other righteous of the world did not, yet you say, "But the righteous are bold as a lion."

308. כד"א וְצַדִּיקִים כִּכְפִיר יִבְטָח. וְאִי תֵּימָא הָא צַדִּיקַיָּיא לָא מִתְרַחֲצָן בְּעוֹבָדֵיהוֹן כְּלַל, וְתָדִיר דַּחֲלִין, כְּאַבְרָהָם, דִּכְתִּיב בֵּיהּ וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר הִקְרִיב לָבֹא מִצְרָיְמָה וְגוֹ.' כְּיִצְחָק, דִּכְתִּיב בֵּיהּ, כִּי יָרֵא לֵאמֹר אִשְׁתִּי. כְּיַעֲקֹב, דִּכְתִּיב בֵּיהּ, וַיִּירָא יַעֲקֹב מְאֹד וְיֵצֶר לוֹ. וְאִי הָנֵי לָא אִתְרְחִיצוּ בְּעוֹבָדֵיהוֹן, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן שְׁאַר צַדִּיקֵי עָלְמָא, וְאַת אָמַרְתָּ וְצַדִּיקִים כִּכְפִיר יִבְטָח.

Deeds Lion Righteous Strength

309. HE ANSWERS, But certainly it is written, "as a lion (Heb. kfir)" (Mishlei 28:1), because of all the synonyms OF THE LION, only the name Kfir is used. That is the weakest and smallest of them all, who does not depend upon his strength even though he is strong, because the righteous do not depend upon their present deeds but rather like a Kfir. Though they know that the strength of their good deeds is strong, they do not depend on it, but are rather like a Kfir, and not more.

309. אֶלָּא וַדַּאי, כִּכְפִיר כְּתִיב, דְּהָא מִכָּל אִינּוּן שְׁמָהָן, לָא כְּתִיב אֶלָּא כְּפִיר, וְלָא כְּתִיב, לָא אַרְיֵה, וְלָא שָׁחַל, וְלָא שָׁחַץ, אֶלָּא כְּפִיר. דְּאִיהוּ חַלְשָׁא וּזְעִירָא מִכֻּלְּהוּ. וְלָא אִתְרְחִיץ בְּחֵילֵיהּ, אע"ג דְּאִיהוּ תַּקִּיף. כַּךְ צַדִּיקַיָּיא לָא אִתְרְחִיצוּ בְּעוֹבָדֵיהוֹן הַשְׁתָּא, אֶלָּא כִּכְפִיר. אע"ג דְּיַדְעִין דְּתַקִיף חֵילָא דְּעוֹבָדֵיהוֹן לָא אִתְרַחֲצָן אֶלָּא כִּכְפִיר, וְלָא יַתִּיר.

Fear Lion Strength Zion

310. And therefore, it IS WRITTEN, "They who trust in Hashem shall be like Mount Zion... " not like a young lion and not like a lion and not like any OF HIS names, but rather "like Mount Zion." They explained that just as Mount Zion is firm and will never decline, IN THE TIME TO COME, they will also be like Mount Zion, not as now when they are only bold like a Kfir (young lion), who fears and does not trust his strength. And you, the children of supernal Holy Ones, your trust is certainly like Mount Zion. Fortunate are you in this and the next world.

310. וּבְגִינֵי כַּךְ הַבֹּטְחִים בַּיְיָ' כְּהַר צִיּוֹן וְגוֹ,' לָא כִּכְפִיר וְלָא כְּאַרְיֵה, וְלָאו כְּכֻלְּהוּ שְׁמָהָן. אֶלָּא כְּהַר צִיּוֹן, וְאוּקְמוּהָ מַה הַר צִיּוֹן אִיהוּ תַּקִּיף, וְלָא יִמּוֹט תָּדִיר, אוּף הָכִי בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא, לֶהֱווֹ כְּהַר צִיּוֹן. וְלָא כְּהַשְׁתָּא, דְּלָא אִתְרְחִיצוּ אֶלָּא כִּכְפִיר, דְּדָחִיל וְלָא אִתְרְחִיץ בְּחֵילֵיהּ. וְאָתּוּן בְּנֵי קַדִּישֵׁי עֶלְיוֹנִין, רָחְצָנוּתָא דִּלְכוֹן כְּהַר צִיּוֹן, וַדַּאי זַכָּאִין אָתוּן בְּעָלְמָא דֵּין וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי.

Crowns Light Merit World to Come, The

311. אָזְלוּ, כַּד מָטוּ לְמָתָא, אִתְחֲשָׁךְ לֵילְיָא. אָמַר ר' שִׁמְעוֹן, כְּמָה דְּיוֹמָא דָּא, אַנְהִיר לָן בְּהַאי אָרְחָא, לְמִזְכֵּי בֵּיהּ בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתִי, אוּף הָכִי הַאי לֵילְיָא, יַנְהִיר לָן, לְמִזְכֵּי לָן לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתִי, וּלְאַעֲטְּרָא מִלִּין דִּימָמָא בְּלֵילְיָא דָּא, קָמֵי עַתִּיק יוֹמִין דְּהָא כְּיוֹמָא דָּא שְׁלִים, לָא יִשְׁתְּכַּח בְּכָל דָּרִין אַחֲרָנִין. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקָנָא בְּעָלְמָא דֵּין, וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי.

Chariot Crowns Midnight

312. עָאלוּ לְבֵיתֵיהּ דר"ש, וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרַבִּי אַבָּא וְרַבִּי יוֹסִי עִמְּהוֹן. בָּתּוֹ עַד דְּאִתְפְּלַג לֵילְיָא. כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְפְּלַג לֵילְיָא, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן לְחַבְרַיָּא, עִידָּן אִיהוּ לְאַעְטְּרָא רְתִיכָא קַדִּישָׁא לְעֵילָּא, בְּאִשְׁתַּדְּלוּתָא דִּילָן. אָמַר לֵיהּ לְרַבִּי יוֹסִי, אַנְתְּ דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּמָעוּ מִילָךְ בְּהַאי יוֹמָא בֵּינָנָא, אַנְתְּ הֲוֵי שֵׁירוּתָא, לְאַנְהָרָא לֵילְיָא, דְּהָא הַשְׁתָּא עִידָּן רְעוּתָא אִיהוּ, לְאַנְהָרָא עֵילָּא וְתַתָּא.