"Light is sown" constantly

Synopsis

The young man from previous sections continues, telling how God, by the hand of his righteous gardener, sowed Light in his Garden of Eden (Malchut) in rows and rows. This act produced fruit that constantly nourishes the world. Even during the time of exile, after the river stopped coming into the Garden of Eden and the gardener no longer entered there, still the Light constantly re-sows itself and produces fruits. Similarly, the Torah is sown constantly in the world, producing offspring and fruit, nourishing the world. The young man adds that "reproofs of instruction" signifies God places "one who smites" to guard over a desired way of life, thus through suffering people are led to the right way. And once again we hear of the secret of 'keep' and 'remember', and how Malchut and Zeir Anpin need each other for perfection.

Relevance

What wonderful, sparkling images come before us when the sages speak of God's Gardener dropping seeds of Light into long, soft furrows in the ground, and then of the Light sprouting and bringing forth fruit. Each of our souls is a garden where seeds of Light have been planted since the dawn of creation. The Light of this passage tends the garden, nurturing the Light-seeds so that our souls now blossom like n orchard of fruit trees in spring.

Eden Fruit Hands Light Righteous

740. The Holy One, blessed be He, sowed this light in His Garden of Eden, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and formed it in rows, MEANING THAT HE DIVIDED IT ACCORDING TO THE COLUMNS, by the hand of this righteous, who is the gardener of the Garden, who took this light and sowed it a true seed. And He formed it in rows in the Garden of Eden, WHICH IS MALCHUT. It sprouted and produced fruit, and from there is the world nourished. This is what is meant by, "Light is sown for the righteous" (Tehilim 97:11).

740. הַאי אוֹר זֶרַע לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּגִנְתָּא דְּעִדָּנוֹי, וְעָבִיד לֵיהּ שׁוּרִין שׁוּרִין, עַל יְדוֹי דְּהַאי צַדִּיק, דְּאִיהוּ גָּנָּנָא דְּגִנְתָּא, וְנָטִיל לְהַאי אוֹר, וְזָרַע לֵיהּ זְרוּעָא דִּקְשׁוֹט. וְעָבִיד לֵיהּ שׁוּרִין שׁוּרִין בְּגִנְתָּא וְאוֹלִיד וְאַצְמַח וְעָבִיד פֵּרִין, וּמִנַּיְיהוּ אִתְּזַן עָלְמָא, הה"ד אוֹר זָרוּעַ לַצַּדִּיק וְגוֹ.'

Female Fruit Light Male Righteous

741. It is written, "And as a garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth" (Yeshayah 61:11). HE QUESTIONS, What are "the things that are sown in it?" HE ANSWERS, These are the things that were sown by the First Light, which is sown constantly. Now it bears and produces fruits, and now it is again sown as before, before the world eats up this fruit that this plant produces, so we find that it produces fruit incessantly. Therefore, the world is fed by the supply of that Garden, which is called 'Righteous,' NAMELY YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, that neither rests nor pauses forever.

741. וּכְתִיב וּכְגַנָּה זֵרוּעֶיהָ תַצְמִיחַ. מַאן זֵרוּעֶיהָ. אִלֵּין זְרוּעֵי דְּאוֹר קַדְמָאָה, דְּאִיהוּ זָרוּעַ תָּדִיר, הַשְׁתָּא אוֹלִיד וְעָבִיד אֵיבִין, וְהַשְׁתָּא זָרוּעַ אִיהוּ, בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, עַד לָא יֵיכוּל עָלְמָא אִיבָּא דָּא, אוֹלִיד זְרוּעָה דָּא וְיָהִיב אִיבָּא וְלָא שָׁכִיךְ. וְעַל דָּא, כָּל עָלְמִין אִתְּזָנוּ בְּסִפּוּקָא דְּהַהוּא גָּנָּנָא, דְּאִקְרֵי צַדִּיק, דְּלָא שָׁכִיךְ וְלָא פָּסִיק לְעָלְמִין.

Eden Exile Fruit Ground Job Light Rivers Seas Waters

742. Except during the time that the children of Yisrael are in exile. If you ask, During the time of exile, it is said, "The waters fail from the sea" (Iyov 14:11), WHICH IS MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED 'SEA' and the river is parched, and dries up" (Ibid.) WHICH IS YESOD THAT IS CALLED 'A RIVER' THAT EMERGES FROM EDEN. IF SO, how can it produce offspring? HE ANSWERS, But it is written "is sown," WHICH MEANS that constantly it is sown, EVEN DURING THE TIME OF EXILE. From the day that that river stopped coming into the Garden of Eden, WHICH IS YESOD THAT IS CALLED 'GARDENER,' that gardener no longer entered there. That light that is constantly being sown produces fruits, because from it and by itself it is sown as before, and it never ceases. THIS IS LIKE a garden that produces offspring, and from its PREVIOUS planting it falls back to its place, MEANING THAT DURING THE HARVESTING OF THE FIELD, SEEDS FALL TO THE GROUND, and produce offspring by itself, as before. If you remark that the offspring and the fruits are the same as when that gardener was there, it is not so. Yet this sowing is never interrupted.

742. בַּר בְּזִמְנָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגָלוּתָא. וְאִי תֵּימָא בְּזִמְנָא דְּגָלוּתָא כְּתִיב, אָזְלוּ מַיִם מִנִּי יָם וְנָהָר יֶחֱרָב וְיָבֵשׁ, הֵיךְ עָבֵיד תּוּלְדִין. אֶלָּא כְּתִיב זָרוּעַ, זָרוּעַ אִיהוּ תָּדִיר, וּמִיּוֹמָא דְּאַפְסִיק הַהוּא נָהָר. בְּגִנְתָּא לָא עָאל בֵּיהּ הַהוּא גָּנָּנָא. וְהַהוּא אוֹר דְּאִיהוּ זָרוּעַ תָּדִיר, עָבֵיד אֵיבִין וּמִנֵּיהּ וּמִגַּרְמֵיהּ אִזְדְּרַע כְּקַדְמִיתָא, וְלָא שָׁכִיךְ תָּדִיר. כְּגִנְתָּא דְּעָבֵיד תּוֹלְדִין, וּמֵהַהוּא זָרוּעַ נָפִיל בֵּיהּ בְּאַתְרֵיהּ, וּמִגַּרְמֵיהּ עָבֵיד תּוֹלְדִין כְּדִבְקַדְמֵיתָא. וְאִי תֵּימָא, דְּאִינּוּן תּוֹלְדִין וְאֵיבִין הֲווֹ כְּמָה דַּהֲוָה בְּזִמְנָא דְּגָנָנָא תַּמָּן. לָאו הָכִי. אֲבָל לָא אִתְמָנַּע זָרוּעַ דָּא לְעָלְמִין.

Fruit Light Torah

Sword Tree Tree of Life

744. "And reproofs of instruction are the way of life" (Mishlei 6:23). There are two ways, one is the way of life and one is the opposite of it. What is the sign of the way of life? It is "reproofs of instruction," for when the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to guard the way of life, He places over it one who smites and makes reproofs of instruction for the people of the world. Who is he? He is that of which is written, "And the bright blade of a revolving sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life" (Beresheet 3:24). Therefore, "reproofs of instruction are the way of life," for one who receives reproof, MEANING SUFFERINGS, is surely awakened to walk that way of life, for there dwell reproofs of instruction.

744. וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר. תְּרֵין אָרְחִין אִינּוּן, חַד אֹרַח חַיִּים, וְחַד בְּהִפּוּכָא מִנֵּיהּ. סִימָנָא דְּאֹרַח חַיִּים מַאן אִיהוּ. תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר. דְּכָד בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְנַטְרָא לְהַאי אֹרַח חַיִּים, שַׁוֵּי עָלֵיהּ הַהוּא דְּאַלְקֵי, וְעָבֵיד תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר לִבְנֵי עָלְמָא. וּמַאן אִיהוּ. הַאי דִּכְתִּיב וְאֵת לַהַט הַחֶרֶב הַמִּתְהַפֶּכֶת לִשְׁמֹר אֶת דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּים וְעַל דָּא, דֶּרֶךְ חַיִּים אִיהוּ תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר. וּמַאן דְּאִית בֵּיהּ תּוֹכָחוֹת, וַדַּאי דְּמִתְעָרֵי לֵיהּ לְמֵהַךְ בְּהַהוּא אֹרַח חַיִּים, דְּשָׁארִי תַּמָּן תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר.

Candles Faith Light Precepts Torah

745. The verse, "FOR THE COMMANDMENT IS A CANDLE... :" Its beginning is not like its end and its end is not like its beginning, BECAUSE IT STARTS WITH THE LIGHT OF TORAH AND PRECEPTS AND ENDS WITH REPROOFS OF INSTRUCTION. HE ANSWERS, All that is in this verse pertains to the secret of the Faith, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT. "For the commandment is a candle" is the secret of 'keep,' WHICH IS MALCHUT, and "Torah is light" is the secret of 'remember,' WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. "And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:" These are the decrees and punishments in the Torah. It is all the secret of the Faith, NAMELY FOR THE PERFECTION OF MALCHUT, and they need each other so that the secret of it all is well established.

745. הַאי קְרָא לָאו רֵישֵׁיהּ סֵיפֵיהּ וְלָאו סֵיפֵיהּ רֵישֵׁיהּ. אֶלָּא כֹּלָּא רָזָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא דְּהַאי קְרָא. כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה, דָּא רָזָא דְּשָׁמוֹר. וְתוֹרָה אוֹר, דָּא רָזָא דְּזָכוֹר, וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר, אִלֵּין גִּזְרִין וְעוֹנָשִׁין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְכֹלָּא רָזָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא. וְאִצְטְרִיךְ דָּא לְדָא, וּלְמֶהֱוֵי רָזָא דְּכֹלָּא כַּדְקָא יֵאוֹת.