Burning of holy things

135. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). It is one of the precepts to burn sacrifices by fire. Then "but that which remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire" (Vayikra 7:17). Tannaim and Amoraim, you shall find holiness, sacrifices (lit. 'Holies') and the Holy (lit. 'Holiness') of Holies among the secrets of the Torah. HE ASKS: What pleasure does the Holy One, blessed be He, derive from burnt sacrifices? It is done on account of Isaac, for when Yisrael are in trouble, the ashes of Isaac rise before Him, FOR WHICH REASON THE SACRIFICE OUGHT TO BE BURNT TO ASHES, AS A REMINDER OF HIS MERIT. If they are punishable by fire, they will be saved for his sake. This is only a homiletic interpretation. You may also say it was for the sons of Aaron that were like the burning of Holies, of whom it is written: "And a fire went out from before Hashem and devoured them, and they died" (Vayikra 10:2). Their deaths atone for Yisrael, like the burning of Holies. This is also a homiletic interpretation.

136. HE ANSWERS: There are three fires to the candle, a white fire, a black fire and a blue fire, conforming to the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings, which correspond to the priests, Levites, and Yisrael. Blue corresponds to the Shechinah, which is near us, AS SHE DWELLS AMONG THE LOWER BEINGS. She holds on to those wicks, the wings of a precept, of which it says: "That they shall make them Tzitzit" (Bemidbar 15:38). The blue is the Shechinah, the Judgment that eats sacrifices and burnt offerings.

137. If She, MALCHUT, THE SECRET OF BLUE, finds men to be as dry wood, like dry wicks without oil, which is the Torah and Mercy, MALCHUT is a fire to them and burns them. For the ignorant are cattle, an abomination according to our explanation, and the blue, THE NAME Adonai, NAMELY MALCHUT, burns them, since they approach Her holding a worm, which is the Evil Inclination and also a stranger. Hence, it is written: "And the stranger that comes near shall be put to death" (Bemidbar 3:10).

138. They should repent before they die, when the angel Michael, who is the High priest, ritually slaughters them, who is the lion that devours the offerings - descends to sacrifice them as an offering-up before Hashem.

139. Before expiring it behooves you to make several confessions, so that when it comes time for your soul to leave you may concentrate on completing the name - SPECIFICALLY, PERFECTING THE UNION OF MALCHUT, CALLED 'NAME,' WITH THE UNION, "Hear, O Yisrael" THE UNION OF ZEIR ANPIN - and 'Blessed be the Name' - THE UNION OF MALCHUT - thus bringing your soul as a sacrifice to the name Eheyeh. One should then confess before the Holy One, blessed be He, so that He will accept and bring the burning and consuming Hei, MALCHUT, near to His Name, YUD HEI VAV HEI, and cause THE Hei to repent before Yud-Hei-Vav Eheyeh, which has a numerical value of 42. THAT IS, TO RETURN THE HEI BACK TO YUD-HEI-VAV SO AS TO AFFECT THE SUPERNAL UNION WITHIN BINAH OF YUD HEI VAV HEI EHEYEH, YUD HEI VAV HEI BEING CHOCHMAH AND EHEYEH BINAH. BEFORE THE UNION IS COMPLETED, MALCHUT is called 'Adonai' (Aleph-Dalet -Nun-Yud), containing the LETTERS OF DIN (JUDGMENT), AN INDICATION FOR THE MEANING OF 'the law (Aramaic Dina, Dalet Yud Nun Aleph) of the kingdom is the Law.' THUS THE UNION OF YUD HEI VAV HEI EHEYEH IS INCOMPLETE.

140. One should concentrate upon the Name pronounced in full, which is Yud-Vav-Dalet, Hei-Aleph, Vav-Aleph-Vav, Hei-Aleph, NAMELY YUD-HEI -VAV-HEI FULLY SPELLED WITH ALEPHS, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, SO AS TO DECLARE THE UNITY with a whole heart, MALCHUT, CALLED 'HEART.' One should concentrate on it while giving up his Ruach, and with his Nefesh be willing to accept death and suffering. With his Neshamah, it behooves him to confess several times and repent.

141. HE EXPLAINS HIS WORDS: With his Nefesh, he takes upon himself death, slaughtering and burning. If he is punishable by the four forms of capital punishment, which are stoning, burning, slaying, and strangulation, he should take them upon his Nefesh from Adonai. With his Neshamah, he should make several confessions and repent before the name Eheyeh, WHICH IS BINAH, which is attached to the two names Yud Hei Vav Hei Yud Hei Vav Hei.

142. One should concentrate his thoughts upon uttering a confession WITH HIS MOUTH and undertake death with a whole heart. THAT IS, ONE SHOULD UNITE MALCHUT, CALLED 'HEART,' BY MEANS OF THE UNITY OF "HASHEM IS ONE," which is the Name pronounced in full as Yud Vav Dalet, Hei Aleph, Vav Aleph Vav, Hei Aleph. THIS IS YUD HEI VAV HEI, FULLY SPELLED WITH ALEPHS, THE SECRET OF ZEIR ANPIN, upon which the priests would kneel, bow and prostrate upon their faces and say: 'Blessed be the Name of the Glory of His kingdom forever and ever.' The term "Glory (Heb. kavod)" (Caf-Bet-Vav-Dalet) in numerical value is Lamed-Bet (Lev; lit. 'heart') (= 32), WHICH IS MALCHUT, CALLED 'HEART.' With it did he concentrate upon perfecting the Name, NAMELY CONCLUDING THE UNION OF MALCHUT WITH YUD HEI VAV HEI.

143. Tannaim and Amoraim, how can the ignorant know ALL THESE MEDITATIONS? HE ANSWERS: Assuredly, the ignorant are like an ox, a lamb, a goat, a turtledove or a pigeon THAT ARE SACRIFICED ON THE ALTAR. The ignorant are like the cattle who do not know the Torah, which is the Name Yud Hei Vav Hei. Only Michael the High Priest - who brings the Name as a burnt offering, sacrificing it before Hashem - concentrates upon the Name that is pronounced in full when his Ruach ascends. So, WITH ALL THESE INTENTIONS, it will finally go out of this life with one heart in just the same manner as a man's Ruach rises every night.

144. The sages therefore taught: "Return a day before you die," for a man should daily return in repentance and deliver his Ruach to Him, so it will leave with 'One.' Hence, it says: "Into Your hand I commit my spirit" (Tehilim 31:6).

145. If he be a Torah scholar, it says of him: "A righteous knows the soul of his cattle" (Mishlei 12:10). There is none as wise as the priest - WHO IS CHESED. As we said, he who wants to be wiser should turn south; NAMELY, CLEAVE TO CHESED, THE SECRET OF THE SOUTH. THIS IS BECAUSE CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHILE IN GREATNESS, BECOMES CHOCHMAH. If he be a Torah scholar, he should have Chesed in him; then, together with Yud, which is Chochmah IN HIM, he becomes pious (Heb. chasid). He who has no Chochmah in him is not considered pious. It was therefore said that 'the ignorant man is not pious' (Avot 2:5), that is, Chasid. If he has in him the FIRST Hei, BINAH, THE SECRET OF the five books of the Torah that were given from the left, he is called 'Mighty' in the Torah and is fearful of sin. If he is ignorant, WITHOUT ANY TORAH IN HIM, it says of him "nor are the ignorant fearful of sin."

146. He who attains Tiferet, which is Vav, and is a man of wisdom, of understanding. In the Torah and fearful of sin, he inherits his Malchut, THE LAST Hei, if he observes the King's commands. When he attains the Name Yud Hei Vav Hei, he is worthy of the Tetragrammaton Name pronounced in full, called 'Adam' (lit. 'Man'), WHICH IS YUD HEI VAV HEI FULLY SPELLED WITH ALEPH. THE NUMERICAL VALUE OF ADAM, NAMELY MAH, IS 45, LIKE THIS, Yud-Vav-Dalet, Hei-Aleph, Vav-Aleph, Vav-Hei- Aleph - AN INDICATION OF ZEIR ANPIN WHEN IN GREATNESS. At that time, he has control over the body, the partner of the bestial Nefesh and the bestial Ruach. The bestial Nefesh makes the vanities of the world, the BESTIAL Ruach speaks of the vanities of the world, and the BESTIAL Neshamah harbors all kinds of meditations and thoughts about the vanities of the world. The Torah scholar rules over them, NAMELY over THE BODY AND THE BESTIAL NEFESH, RUACH AND NESHAMAH.

147. This is the meaning of the verse: "And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth" (Beresheet 1:26). HERE, "THE FISH OF THE SEA" ALLUDES TO THE NESHAMAH, "THE BIRDS OF THE SKY" TO THE RUACH, AND "THE CATTLE" TO THE NEFESH. What is "over all the earth?" It is the body, a small world. They are afraid of THE TORAH SCHOLARS, WHO RULE OVER THEM, as written: "And the fear of you and the dread of you..." (Beresheet 9:2). He rules over them on the right side, CHESED, and of CHESED IT SAYS: "And let them have dominion," which has the same meaning as, "May he have dominion also from sea to sea" (Tehilim 72:8), WHICH IS AN EXPRESSION OF DOMINION. On the left side, GVURAH, they fear him, as written: "And their fear of you and the dread of you." It says of him: "A righteous man knows the soul (lit. 'the Nefesh') of his cattle," NAMELY HE HAS CONTROL OVER HIS BESTIAL NEFESH.

148. Since he is righteous, THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, does not give him a reward for his good deeds and he receives no reward in this world, nor food for the BODY AND THE bestial NESHAMAH, RUACH AND NEFESH. A poor man is regarded as a dead man, but he is, above all, constantly with the Shechinah.

149. "For Hashem your Elohim is a consuming fire" (Devarim 4:24). This fire, THE SHECHINAH, needs Him to be with Her always, as She is never put out but consumes all the sacrifices, WHICH ARE the prayers and the words of the Torah. For She, THE SHECHINAH provides for Him, FOR ZEIR ANPIN. In what way IS SHE CONSIDERED HIS PROVIDER? Through the prayers OF YISRAEL, WHICH SHE RECEIVES. Hence, it is written: "Open for Me," (Shir Hashirim 5:2) meaning open with prayer, for it is said of Her: "Adonai, open my lips," for She is "My sister, (Heb. ra'ayati) My love (Heb. ra'ayati)" (Shir Hashirim 5:2) - My love being My provider, BY THE TERMS RA'YAH, AS IN, "HASHEM IS MY SHEPHERD (HEB. RO'EH)" (TEHILIM 23:1). By Her the, Holy children, NAMELY THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL, prepare food for THE sacrifices of the King, ZEIR ANPIN, including many victuals, which are the bread of the Torah.

150. It is said of Her: "Come, eat of My bread" (Mishlei 9:5), on the Right, CHESED, and with wine, the wine of the Torah on the Left, THE SIDE OF GVURAH, and with water libation, WHICH IS RIGHT, and the wine of the Written and Oral Torah, WHICH IS LEFT of the Central Column, TIFERET, which includes them both, AS IT COMPRISES RIGHT AND LEFT, WHICH ARE CHESED AND GVURAH. And with flesh, the holy flesh and with several sacrifices, NAMELY MALCHUT, which the sages of the Mishnah explained, that we are dealing with the flesh that comes down from heaven. What is "from heaven?" It is the Central Column, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, CALLED 'HEAVEN.' It says of her, AS ZEIR ANPIN, THE SECRET OF ADAM, SAID OF HER: "And flesh of my flesh" (Beresheet 2:23).

151. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). The holy flesh is MALCHUT, burning in several flames on the side of Gvurah. She burns with love for Her husband, ZEIR ANPIN, with the love of the recital of the Sh'ma and the love of union, which is never put out day and night. Friends! Upon you rests, "Give Him no rest" (Yeshayah 62:7), meaning the Holy One, blessed be He, UNTIL He is engulfed by the flame of love for His union in the recital of the Sh'ma, so that this verse will be fulfilled : "The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out" (Vayikra 6:6).