635. Happy are all those who are occupied with Torah, for when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He looked into the Torah and thus created the world. He did create the world with Torah and with Torah was the world created, as we have established. It is written, "then I was by Him, as a nursling (Heb. amon)" (Mishlei 8:30). Do not pronounce it 'amon' but rather 'umon (Eng. 'a craftsman')' FOR TORAH IS THE CRAFTMANSHIP OF THE WORLD.
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.
636. HE QUESTIONS, Is the Torah a craftsman? HE ANSWERS, Yes, SIMILAR to a king who wishes to build a palace. If he does not take a craftsman, he cannot make the palace. Once the palace is built, it is not known AFTER THE NAME OF THE CRAFTSMAN, but rather by the name of the king. For people say these are the palaces that the king made, BY REASON that the king gave the idea for all these palaces.
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.
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.
638. Not that the Torah created the world, but rather the Holy One, blessed be He, by His looking into the Torah, created the world. So we find that the Holy One, blessed be He, is the craftsman and the Torah in relation to Him and by Him is a craft, as it is written, "Then I was by Him, as a nursling (Heb. amon)." It does not say 'I was as amon,' but "I was by Him as amon." The Holy One, blessed be He, looked into it, so it was by Him a craft.
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.
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.
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.
641. At the time that the desire arose in the Holy One, blessed be He, to create Adam, he stood before Him in his form and existence as he is in the world. All the people of the world, before they come to this world, stand in their complete existence, as they are present in this world in one treasury, where all the souls of the world are clothed in their form.
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.
642. At the moment that they are about to descend to this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, calls one appointed angel in whose authority the Holy One, blessed be He, places all the souls that are to descend to this world. And He says to him, Bring me the spirit of so-and-so. At that moment, the soul comes clothed in the form of this world, and that appointed angel presents it before the Holy King.
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.
643. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to it and makes it swear that it should be occupied with Torah when it descends to this world, to know it and to know the secret of the Faith. For everyone who was in this world, and did not try to know Him, it is better created. Therefore, it appears before the King THROUGH THAT APPOINTED ANGEL AS MENTIONED BEFORE, so as to know HIM in this world and to endeavor in the Holy One, blessed be He, in the secret of the Faith.
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.