Vaetchanan: Chapter 1

"But you shall meditate therein day and night"

Synopsis

Rabbi Yosi emphasizes the deep importance of meditating constantly on the Torah. He says that people must accept upon themselves the yoke of the kingdom of heaven when they go to sleep since everyone tastes death at night.

Adonai Evil Face Fear Hezekiah Torah Tree Tree of Life Walls

1. "And I besought Hashem at that time, saying, Adonai Elohim, You began to show Your servant" (Devarim 3:23-24). Rabbi Yosi opened with, "Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to Hashem" (Yeshayah 38:2). Come and see how powerful is the force of the Torah and how superior it is to anything else. For whoever is occupied with the Torah does not fear the higher or lower beings, nor fear evil incidents in the work, because he is attached to the Tree of Life, WHICH IS THE TORAH, and eats from it daily.

1. וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל יְיָ' בָּעֵת הַהִיא לֵאמֺר. אֲדֺנָ"י יֱדֺוִ"ד אַתָּה הַחִלּוֹתָ לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת עַבְדְּךָ וְגוֹ.' ר' יוֹסֵי פָּתַח, וַיַּסֵּב חִזְקִיָּהוּ פָּנָיו אֶל הַקִּיר וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל יְיָ.' ת"ח, כַּמָּה הוּא חֵילָא תַּקִּיפָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְכַמָּה הוּא עִלָּאָה עַל כֺּלָּא. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתְּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, לָא דָּחִיל מֵעִלָּאֵי וְתַתָּאֵי. וְלָא דָּחִיל מֵעִרְעוּרִין בִּישִׁין דְּעָלְמָא. בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ אָחִיד בְּאִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי, וְאָכִיל מִנֵּיהּ בְּכָל יוֹמָא.

Death Death and the Afterlife Joshua Repentance Torah

2. For the Torah teaches man to walk the path of truth and gives him counsel how to repent before his Master. Even when he is sentenced to death, everything is repealed and gone from him, not to rest upon him. Therefore he should be occupied with the Torah day and night and not move from it. This is the meaning of, "but you shall meditate therein day and night" (Yehoshua 1:8). If he removed the Torah from himself or separates from it, it is as if he separated from life.

2. דְּהָא אוֹרַיְיתָא אוֹלִיף לֵיהּ לְב"נ, לְמֵיהַךְ בְּאֺרַח קְשׁוֹט. אוֹלִיף לֵיהּ עֵיטָא הֵיךְ יְתוּב קַמֵּי מָארֵיהּ. וַאֲפִילּוּ יִתְגְּזָר עָלֵיהּ מוֹתָא, כֺּלָּא יִתְבָּטַּל וְיִסְתְּלַּק מִנֵּיהּ, וְלָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלוֹי. וְע"ד בָּעֵי לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא יְמָמָא וְלֵילֵי, וְלָא יִתְעֲדֵי מִנַהּ, הה"ד וְהָגִיתָ בּוֹ יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה. וְאִי אַעְדֵי מִינֵּיהּ אוֹרַיְיתָא, אוֹ אִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנַּהּ, כְּאִלּוּ אִתְפְּרַשׁ מִן חַיֵּי.

Death Death and the Afterlife Heaven Kingdom Nefesh (Soul) Soul (Nefesh) Tree

3. Come and see, there is advice for man. When he climbs into his bed at night, he should accept upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of heaven wholeheartedly and hasten to give Him the deposit of his Nefesh. It was explained that this is since every man tastes AT NIGHT the taste of death, because the tree of death rests upon the world, WHICH IS MALCHUT. And all the spirits of people come out, rise and hide in it, IN MALCHUT. Since they are GIVEN as a deposit, they all return LATER to their place.

3. ת"ח, עֵיטָא דְּב"נ כַּד אִיהוּ סָלִיק בְּלֵילְיָא עַל עַרְסֵיהּ, בָּעֵי לְקַבְּלָא עָלֵיהּ עוֹל מַלְכוּתָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, בְּלִבָּא שְׁלִים. וּלְאַקְדְמֵי לְמִימְסַר גַּבֵּיהּ פִּקְדּוֹנָא דְּנַפְשֵׁיהּ. וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ, בְּגִין דְּכָל עָלְמָא טַעֲמִין טַעֲמָא דְּמוֹתָא, דְּהָא אִילָנָא דְּמוֹתָא שַׁרְיָא בְּעָלְמָא, וְכָל רוּחֵי דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא נָפְקִין, וְסַלְּקִין וְאִתְטַמְּרָן גַּבֵּיהּ. וּבְגִין דְּאִינּוּן בְּפִקְדּוֹנָא, כֻּלְּהוּ תַּיְיבִין לְאַתְרַיְיהוּ.

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