"Then I was by Him, as a nursling"

Synopsis

Rabbi Chiya speaks here about the relationship between a king and a craftsman who together make a palace. He says the Torah is the craftsman whom the Holy One used to create the world. Before the world was created, the Torah preceded it by two thousand years. The Holy One looked into the Torah, saw what was to be created, and created it. He created man to be occupied with Torah, for which the world exists. Now, everyone who looks into the Torah and is occupied with it causes the world to remain in existence. Like Adam, we are told, all people before they come to this world stand before God in the same form and existence as they are in the world. At the moment a soul is about to descend to this world, God calls the appointed angel who has authority over the soul, and asks the angel to bring her into His presence. Then the soul comes clothed in the form of this world, and the Holy King makes her swear that she will be occupied with Torah when she descends to this world. It is better for one not to be born, we are told, than to come to this world and not try to know God.

Relevance

Here we learn that the Torah predated the world and was indeed the pattern for all Creation. Traditionally, the Torah is viewed as a religious canon in which the fundamental laws of moral and physical conduct are inscribed. Scholars view the Torah as a document of recorded history, or a collection of stories that expound upon God's relationship with man.

Kabbalistically, these descriptions miss the mark. The author of the Zohar, the eminent Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, ridicules those who see only stories and tales in this sacred instrument. The scroll is not an attempt to define the proper morals by which a man should live. Humanity will never seek out positive change, nor will a man persevere on the spiritual path when the vague concepts of morality and ethics are the primary motivation and reward. Lacking the Kabbalistic knowledge concerning the Torah, the scroll becomes a fruitless symbol of tradition, instead of an awesome instrument of power.

What is the power of the Torah when viewed through the lens of Kabbalah? It is the personal and universal power to change; to transform; to elevate; to grow; to resemble God and ultimately to become him. Toward that end, the scroll emits spiritual influences that envelope us with: healing, so that we share it with others; prosperity, so that we may tithe and give to the poor; assistance in the removal of envy, so that we may love others unconditionally; the ability to attract our soul-mate, so that we may complete our souls; and the courage to conquer our deepest fears, so that we may climb the highest mountains.

This most potent passage evokes this ancient memory, recalling our promise to God to delve, heart and soul, into the Torah's mysteries. And at this moment, here and now, we are honoring our commitment, igniting the full power of the Torah, and completing the purpose of Creation.

Creation Torah

635. זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן כָּל אִינּוּן דְּמִשְׁתַּדְּלֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. וּבְגִין דְּכַד בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, אִסְתָּכַּל בָּהּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּבָרָא עָלְמָא, וּבְאוֹרַיְיתָא אִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא, כְּמָה דְּאוּקְמוּהָ, דִּכְתִּיב וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן, אַל תִּקְרֵי אָמוֹן אֶלָּא אוּמָן.

Torah

636. וְכִי אוֹרַיְיתָא אוּמָנָא הֲוָה. אִין. לְמַלְכָּא דְּבָעֵי לְמֶעְבַּד פַּלְטֵרִין, אִי לָא שַׁוֵּי לְגַבֵּיהּ אוּמָנָא, לָא יָכִיל לְמֶעְבַּד פְּלַטְרִין. כֵּיוָן דִּפְלַטְרִין וְאִתְעָבֵידוּ, לָא סָלִיק שְׁמָא, אֶלָּא דְּמַלְכָּא. אִלֵּין פְּלַטְרִין דְּעָבֵד מַלְכָּא, מַלְכָּא שַׁוֵּי בְּאִינּוּן פְּלַטְרִין מַחֲשָׁבָה.

Creation Torah Year

637. So the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to create the world. He looked to the craftsman, WHICH IS THE TORAH and, although the craftsman made the palace, it is credited to the name of the king, for people say these are the palaces that the king made. Certainly, the king built the palace. The Torah cries, 'Then I was by Him, as a craftsman,' for the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world with me. Before the world was created, the Torah preceded the world by two thousand years. When the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to create the world, He looked into every single word in the Torah, and created the craft in the world correspondingly, because all the things and words of the worlds are in the Torah. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, looked into it and so created the world.

637. כַּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בָּעֵי לְמִבְרֵי עָלְמָא, אִסְתָּכַּל בְּאוּמָנָא, וְאע"ג דְּאוּמָנָא עֲבַד פְּלַטְרִין, לָא סָלִיק שְׁמָא אֶלָּא דְּמַלְכָּא, אִלֵּין פְּלַטְרִין דַּעֲבַד מַלְכָּא, וַדַּאי מַלְכָּא בָּנָה פְּלַטְרִין. אוֹרַיְיתָא צוֹוַחַת וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן, בִּי בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, דְּעַד אִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא, אַקְדִּימַת אוֹרַיְיתָא תְּרֵין אַלְפֵי שְׁנִין לְעָלְמָא, וְכַד בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמִבְרֵי עָלְמָא, הֲוָה מִסְתַּכָּל בָּהּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, בְּכָל מִלָּה וּמִלָּה, וְעָבֵד לָקֳבְלָהּ אוּמָנוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא. בְּגִין דְּכָל מִלִּין וְעוֹבָדִין דְּכָל עָלְמִין, בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא אִינּוּן. וְע"ד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוָה מִסְתָּכַּל בָּהּ, וּבָרָא עָלְמָא.

Creation Torah

638. לָאו דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא בָּרָא עָלְמָא, אֶלָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּאִסְתַּכְּלוּתָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא בָּרָא עָלְמָא. אִשְׁתְּכַח דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִיהוּ אוּמָנָא, וְאוֹרַיְיתָא לָקֳבְלֵיהּ וּלְגַבֵּיהּ אוּמָנָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן, וָאֶהְיֶה אָמוֹן לָא כְּתִיב, אֶלָּא אֶצְלוֹ, הוֹאִיל וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִסְתָּכַּל בָּהּ, אֶצְלוֹ הֲוָה אוּמָנָא.

Creation Earth Heaven Light Torah

639. And if you ask, Who can be a craftsman next to the Holy One, blessed be He? The looking of the Holy One, blessed be He, was in this manner. It is written in the Torah: "In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth" (Beresheet 1:1). He looked at this and created the heaven. In the Torah, it is written, "And Elohim said, 'Let there be light'" (Ibid. 3). He looked at this word and created the light, and so with every single word that is written in the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, looked and created that thing. Therefore it is written, "Then I was by Him as a craftsman." The whole world was created in the same way.

639. וְאִי תֵּימָא מַאן יָכִיל לְמֶהֱוֵי אוּמָנָא לְגַבֵּיהּ. אֶלָּא אִסְתַּכְּלוּתָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּגַוְונָא דָּא, בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, כְּתִיב בָּהּ, בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ, אִסְתָּכַּל בְּהַאי מִלָּה, וּבָרָא אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם. בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא כְּתִיב בָּהּ, וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר, אִסְתָּכַּל בְּהַאי מִלָּה, וּבָרָא אֶת הָאוֹר. וְכֵן בְּכָל מִלָּה וּמִלָּה דִּכְתִּיב בָּהּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אִסְתָּכַּל קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְעָבֵד הַהִיא מִלָּה, וְע"ד כְּתִיב וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן. כְּגַוְונָא דָּא כָּל עָלְמָא אִתְבְּרֵי.

Creation Torah

640. Once the world was created, nothing persevered until it arose in His desire to create man, to be occupied with Torah, for which the world exists. Now, everyone who looks into the Torah and is occupied with it causes the world to remain in existence. The Holy One, blessed be He, looked into the Torah and created the world. Man looks into the Torah and causes it to exist, so we see that the existence and the sustenance of the entire world is the Torah. Therefore, Happy is the man who is occupied in Torah, for he keeps the world in existence.

640. כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא, כָּל מִלָּה וּמִלָּה לָא הֲוָה מִתְקַיֵּים, עַד דְּסָלִיק בִּרְעוּתָא לְמִבְרֵי אָדָם, דִּיהֱוֵי מִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּבְגִינָהּ אִתְקָיָּים עָלְמָא. הַשְּׁתָּא כָּל מַאן דְּאִסְתָּכַּל בָּהּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאִשְׁתָּדַּל בָּהּ, כִּבְיָכוֹל, הוּא מְקַיֵּים כָּל עָלְמָא. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִסְתָּכַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּבָרָא עָלְמָא. בַּר נָשׁ מִסְתַּכֵּל בָּהּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וּמְקַיֵים עָלְמָא. אִשְׁתְּכַח דְּעוֹבָדָא וְקִיּוּמָא דְּכָל עָלְמָא, אוֹרַיְיתָא אִיהִי. בְּגִין כַּךְ זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ בַּר נָשׁ דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּהָא אִיהוּ מְקַיֵּים עָלְמָא.

Adam Form Soul, The

641. בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּסָלִיק בִּרְעוּתָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמִבְרֵי אָדָם, קָאֵים קָמֵיהּ בְּדִיוּקְנֵיהּ וְקִיוּמֵיהּ, כְּמָה דְּאִיהוּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא. וַאֲפִילּוּ כָּל אִינּוּן בְּנֵי עָלְמָא, עַד לָא יֵיתוּן בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, כֻּלְּהוּ קַיְימִין בְּקִיּוּמַיְיהוּ וּבְתִקוּנַיְיהוּ כְּגַוְונָא דְּקַיְימִין בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, בְּחַד אוֹצָר דְּתַמָּן כָּל נִשְׁמָתִין דְּעָלְמָא מִתְלַבְּשָׁן בְּדִּיוּקְנַיְיהוּ.

Angels Form Soul, The

642. וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דִּזְמִינִין לְנַחְתָּא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, קָרֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְחַד מְמָנָא, דִּי מָנֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּרְשׁוּתֵיהּ כָּל נִשְׁמָתִין דִּזְמִינִין לְנַחְתָּא לְהַאי עָלְמָא, וְאָמַר לֵיהּ, זִיל אַיְיתֵי לִי רוּחַ פְּלוֹנִי. בְּהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא אַתְיָא הַהוּא נִשְׁמְתָא, מִתְלַבְּשָׁא בְּדִיּוּקְנָא דְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְהַהוּא מְמָנָא אַחְזֵי לָהּ קָמֵי מַלְכָּא קַדִּישָׁא.

Angels Faith Torah

643. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָמַר לָהּ, וְאוֹמֵי לָהּ, דְּכַד תֵּיחוֹת לְהַאי עָלְמָא, דְּתִשְׁתָּדַל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, לְמִנְדַּע לֵיהּ, וּלְמִנְדַּע בְּרָזָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא. דְּכָל מַאן דְּהַוְי בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְלָא אִשְׁתָּדַּל לְמִנְדַּע לֵיהּ, טָב לֵיהּ דְלָא יִתְבְּרֵי. בג"כ אִתְחָזֵי קָמֵי מַלְכָּא קַדִּישָׁא, לְמִנְדַּע בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וּלְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּרָזָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא.