Tzav: Chapter 3

Whither does the cleaving of the wish rise up to?

Synopsis

Rabbi Shimon answers by saying that their devotion rises to the endless world. He speaks about the great mystery of the endless world, where there are no desires, no lights and no candles, and tells us that all the lights and candles in Atzilut depend on the endless world for their existence, but are not perceivable. No knowledge pertains to the endless world. When Chochmah and Binah rise by their illumination, only the odor is known, not the savor. Rabbi Shimon says that tzav is idolatry, and that Yisrael have tzav, the Other Side, at their disposal to separate it from holiness by means of the burnt sacrifice. The goal of the desire and prayer and sacrifice is to separate the Spirit of Defilement from Holiness.

Holy of Holies Levites

11. Rabbi Elazar asked his father, Rabbi Shimon: Everything is bound in the Holy of Holies, BINAH, so as to illuminate. Yet whither does the cleaving of the wish of the priests, the Levites and Yisrael rise?

11. ר' אֶלְעָזָר שָׁאִיל לְר"ש אֲבוֹי וְאָמַר, הָא קִשּׁוּרָא דְּכֹלָּא אִתְקְשַׁר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ הַקֳדָשִׁים לְאִתְנַהֲרָא, אִתְדַּבְּקוּתָא דְּרַעֲוָא דְּכַהֲנֵי לֵיוָאֵי וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְעֵילָּא, עַד הֵיכָן אִיהוּ סַלְּקָא.

Head Keter Point Thought Wisdom

12. He said to him: We have explained THAT THEIR DEVOTION RISES to the endless world, since any bond, union or perfection secretly conceals that which is not to be comprehended or known, in which the desire of all desires lies. The endless world cannot be known, nor has it an end or beginning. It is not like "Ayin (lit. 'naught')," WHICH IS KETER CALLED 'AYIN,' the first to produce a head (lit. 'beginning') and an end (Heb. sof). What is the head? It is a supernal point, the head to all that is concealed, existing within thought. THIS IS CHOCHMAH CALLED 'BEGINNING.' CHOCHMAH EMANATES FROM KETER CALLED 'AYIN,' IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SECRET OF THE VERSE: "BUT WHERE (LIT. FROM 'AIN') SHALL WISDOM BE FOUND?" (IYOV 28:12). It produced an end, MALCHUT, called "the end of the matter" (Kohelet 12:13). However, IN THE ENDLESS WORLD, there is no end.

12. אָ"ל הָא אוֹקִימְנָא, עַד אֵין סוֹף, דְּכָל קִשּׁוּרָא וְיִחוּדָא וּשְׁלִימוּ, לְאַצְנְעָא בְּהַהוּא צְנִיעוּ, דְּלָא אִתְדְּבַּק, וְלָא אִתְיְידַע, דְּרַעֲוָא דְּכָל רַעֲוִין בֵּיהּ. א"ס לָא קַיְּימָא לְאוֹדָעָא, וְלָא לְמֶעְבַּד סוֹף, וְלָא לְמֶעְבַּד רֹאשׁ. כְּמָה דְּאַיִן קַדְמָאָה, אַפִּיק רֹאשׁ וְסוֹף, מַאן רֹאשׁ. דָּא נְקוּדָה עִלָּאָה, דְּאִיהִי רֵישָׁא דְּכֹלָּא סְתִימָאָה, דְּקַיְּימָא גּוֹ מַחֲשָׁבָה. וְעָבֵיד סוֹף, דְּאִקְרֵי סוֹף דָּבָר, אֲבָל לְהָתָם אֵין סוֹף.

Atzilut Candles Keter Lights

13. There are no wishes, no lights, and no candles in the endless world. All these lights and candles IN ATZILUT depend upon THE ENDLESS WORLD for their existence but are not perceivable. That which is known yet unknown, NAMELY, THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO SPEAK OF FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF KNOWLEDGE, is nothing but the most concealed supernal wish, CALLED 'Ain (lit. 'naught'),' WHICH IS KETER. BUT NO KNOWLEDGE PERTAINS TO THE ENDLESS WORLD.

13. לָאו רְעוּתִין, לָאו נְהוֹרִין, לָאו בּוּצִינִין בְּהַהוּא א"ס, כָּל אִלֵּין נְהוֹרִין וּבוּצִינִין תַּלְיָין לְאִתְקַיְּימָא בְּהוּ, וְלָא קַיְימֵי לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא, מַאן דְּיָדַע וְלָא יָדַע, לָאו אִיהוּ אֶלָּא רְעוּ עִלָּאָה סְתִימָאָה דְּכָל סְתִימִין, אַיִן.

Aramaic Point Prayer Singing World to Come, The

14. When the supernal point, CHOCHMAH, and the World to Come, BINAH, rise BY THEIR ILLUMINATION, only the smell is known, like smelling an odor and being perfumed by it. This is not CONSIDERED pleasure (Heb. nachat) CALLED 'SAVOR (HEB. NICHOACH),' as written: "And I will not smell the odor of your sweet savors," (Vayikra 26:31) AS ODOR AND SAVOR ARE DIFFERENT THINGS. The odor of sweet savor MEANS the odor of wish, namely of all those wishes in a prayer, the wish of singing and the wish of the priests, all of which are the secret of man. They were all made then into one wish, called 'savor' or 'wish' in the Aramaic translation. Everything is then connected and properly shines together, as we have learned.

14. וְכַד נְקוּדָה עִלָּאָה, וְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, אִסְתְּלָקוּ, לָא יַדְעִין בַּר רֵיחָא, כְּמַאן דְּאָרַח בְּרֵיחָא וְאִתְבְּסָם, וְלָאו דָּא נַיְיחָא, דְּהָא כְּתִיב וְלָא אָרִיחַ בְּרֵיחַ נִיחֹחֲכֶם, דְּהָא רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ רֵיחָא דִּרְעוּתָא, דְּכָל הָנֵי רְעוּתָא דִּצְלוֹתָא, וּרְעוּתָא דְּשִׁירָתָא, וּרְעוּתָא דְּכַהֲנֵי, דְּכֻלְּהוּ רָזָא דְּאָדָם, כְּדֵין כֻּלְּהוּ אִתְעָבֵידוּ רְעוּתָא חֲדָא, וְהַהוּא אִקְרֵי נִיחֹחַ, רְעוּתָא: כְּתַרְגוּמוֹ. כְּדֵין כֹּלָּא אִתְקְשַׁר וְאִתְנְהִיר כַּחֲדָא כַּדְקָא יֵאוֹת, כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר.

Aaron Evil Holiness (Kedushah) Idolatry Kedushah (Holiness) Other Side Sacrifice Smoke Thought

15. The Other Side was therefore given into the hands of the priest, as written: "Command Aaron and his sons, saying" (Vayikra 6:2). There is a mystery here, as we have learned that 'command' is idolatry, NAMELY THE OTHER SIDE. Here he was given an opportunity to burn that evil thought and remove it from Holiness by the wish that rises up, by the smoke and the burning fat, so that they would be removed from the Holiness. They have this 'command,' THE OTHER SIDE, at their disposal to separate it from the Holiness by means of that sacrifice. You may ask, in, "Command the children of Yisrael," HOW IS 'COMMAND' TO BE INTERPRETED AS THE OTHER SIDE? HE ANSWERS: Here too, IT MEANS THAT THE OTHER SIDE is at their disposal, for as long as the children of Yisrael perform the desire of their Master, the Other Side cannot have power over them.

15. וְעַ"ד אִתְיְהִיבַת הַאי סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא בִּידָא דְּכַהֲנָא, דִּכְתִּיב צַו אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר. רָזָא הָכָא, דְּהָא אוֹקִימְנָא, לֵית צַו אֶלָּא עֲ"ז. וְהָכָא אִתְיְיהִיבַת לֵיהּ לְאִתּוֹקְדָא הַהוּא מַחֲשָׁבָה רָעָה, וּלְאַעְבְּרָא לָהּ מִגּוֹ קוּדְשָׁא, בְּהַאי רְעוּתָא דְּסַלְּקָא לְעֵילָּא, וּבְהַאי תְּנָנָא וְתַרְבִּין דְּאִתּוֹקְדָן, בְּגִין לְאִתְעַבְּרָא מִן קוּדְשָׁא, וְהַאי צַו בִּרְשׁוּתַיְיהוּ קַיְּימָא, לְאַפְרְשָׁא לָהּ מִן קוּדְשָׁא מִגּוֹ הַאי קָרְבְּנָא וְאִי תֵּימָא צַו אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, הָכִי נָמֵי דְּהָא בִּרְשׁוּתַיְיהוּ קַיְּימָא, כָּל זִמְנָא דְּעַבְדֵי רְעוּתָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן, דְּלָא יַכְלָא לְשַׁלְּטָאָה עָלַיְיהוּ.

Aaron Prayer Sacrifice

16. This verse, "COMMAND AARON AND HIS SONS," comes to show the secret meaning of this, to adorn that Holy Spirit high above and to separate the Spirit of Defilement and bring it very low - the one, NAMELY THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL, by wish and prayer, and the other, NAMELY THE PRIESTS, by the act of sacrifice, each as befits him.

16. וְהַאי קְרָא כֹּלָּא אַתְיָא לְאַחֲזָאָה רָזָא דְּמִלָּה, לְאַעְטְּרָא לְהַאי רוּחַ קוּדְשָׁא לְעֵילָּא לְעֵילָּא, וּלְאַפְרְשָׁא לָהּ לְדָא רוּחַ טוּמְאָה, לְנַחְתָּא לָהּ לְתַתָּא לְתַתָּא. דָּא בִּרְעוּתָא וּבִצְלוֹתָא כִּדְקָאָמַרָן, וְדָא בְּעוֹבָדָא כֹּלָּא כִּדְקָחֲזֵי לֵיהּ.

Aaron Fear Idolatry Other Side Women

17. This verse is the indication, as written: "Command Aaron and his sons, saying." "Command" is idolatry, the Spirit of Defilement. "Saying" is the woman called 'fear of Hashem,' NAMELY MALCHUT, as it is written here, "saying" and elsewhere, "It was said (lit. 'saying'), 'If a man put away his wife'" (Yirmeyah 3:1). AS IN THE VERSE, "SAYING," ALLUDES TO A WOMAN, SO HERE, "SAYING" ALLUDES TO A WOMAN. We have already asserted that. Hence, everything is said in this verse, NAMELY, THE ADORNING OF MALCHUT AND THE LOWERING OF THE OTHER SIDE. And the role of the priest is to rectify everything according to the secret of man and beast.

17. וְהַאי קְרָא מוֹכָחָא עָלַיְיהוּ, דִּכְתִּיב צַו אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר. צַו: דָּא עֲ"ז, רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא. לֵאמֹר: דָּא אִתְּתָא, דְּאִקְרֵי יִרְאַת יְיָ.' כְּתִיב הָכָא לֵאמֹר, וּכְתִיב הָתָם לֵאמֹר הֵן יְשַׁלַּח אִישׁ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ. וְהָא אוֹקְמוּהָ. בְּג"כ כֹּלָּא אִתְּמַר, וְכַהֲנָא קַיְּימָא לְאִתְתַּקְנָא כֹּלָּא בְּרָזָא דְּאָדָם וּבְהֵמָה.

Righteous Torah World to Come, The

18. Happy is the portion of the righteous in this world and in the World to Come, for they know the ways of the Torah and tread it in the path of Truth. About them, it is written: "Hashem, on them men live" (Yeshayah 38:16). What are, "them?" They are the ways of the Torah, and "men live," MEANS they endure in this world and in the World to Come.

18. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא בְּעָלְמָא דֵּין וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, דְּאִינּוּן יַדְעֵי אוֹרְחֵי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאַזְלֵי בָּהּ בְּאֹרַח קְשׁוֹט, עָלַיְיהוּ כְּתִיב יְיָ' עֲלֵיהֶם יִחְיוּ. מַאן עֲלֵיהֶם. אִלֵּין אָרְחֵי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. יִחְיוּ: יִתְקַיְּימוּן, בְּעָלְמָא דֵּין וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי.

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