Whoever eats without a prayer

Synopsis

Rabbi Shimon opens with "You shall not eat with the blood, neither shall you practice divination nor soothsaying." He says that whoever eats without praying for his blood is the same as someone who practices divination and soothsaying. We learn that during the nights the souls go up, and since man is sustained by the power that permeates the blood he tastes death, for the power of the blood is not strong enough to receive the power of the Neshamah. Therefore when a man awakens he is not pure; the Other Side has power over a place vacant of soul. Even after a person washes himself with water, the Nefesh rules him, not the Neshamah. But when he prays, the power of the Neshamah is strengthened and the man is properly perfected with the Nefesh below and the Neshamah above. Finally, Rabbi Shimon explains how a man who eats before praying is considered a diviner and a soothsayer.

404. בְּגִין דִּבְלֵילְיָא נִשְׁמְתָא סַלְקַת לְמֵחֱמֵי בְּרָזָא דִּיקָרָא עִלָּאָה, כָּל חַד וְחַד כְּמָה דְּאִתְחָזֵי לֵיהּ. וְאִשְׁתְּאַר ב"נ בְּהַהוּא חֵילָא דְּאִתְפָּשַּׁט גּוֹ דָּמָא, לְאִתְקַיְּימָא גּוּפָא. וְעַל דָּא טָעִים טַעֲמָא דְּמוֹתָא, וְהַהוּא חֵילָא לָא מִתְעַתְּדָא לְאִתְּעָרָא גּוֹ הַהוּא חֵילָא דְּנִשְׁמְתָא, וּלְקַבְּלָא לֵיהּ. וְכַד אִתְעָר בַּר נָשׁ, לָאו אִיהוּ דָּכִי. וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא, דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא שַׁלִּיט, עַל אֲתָר דְּקַיְּימָא בְּלָא נִשְׁמְתָא.

405. After washing himself with water, though he is occupied in the Torah, the Neshamah is not kept in its place nor rules man, only the power of the blood alone does, which is called Nefesh. The Nefesh always permeates the blood, as we already explained. And when a man prays, worshipping his Master, then the power of the blood resumes its place, and the power of the Neshamah is strengthened, so it settles in that place IN THE BODY. Then a man is properly perfected before his Master, the Nefesh below and, the inner matter, the Neshamah, above.

405. כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְדָכֵּי בְּמַיָּא, וְאע"ג דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בַּר נָשׁ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, הַהִיא נִשְׁמְתָא לָא אִתְקַיָּימַת בְּאַתְרָהּ, וְלָא שַׁלְטָא בֵּיהּ בב"נ, בַּר חֵילָא דְּדָמָא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, דְּאִקְרֵי נֶפֶשׁ, הַהִיא דְּאִתְפַּשְּׁטָא בְּדָמָא תָּדִיר, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא. וְכַד יִצָלֵי ב"נ צְלוֹתָא דְּפוּלְחָנָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, כְּדֵין מִתְיַישְּׁבָא חֵילָא דְּדָמָא בְּאַתְרֵיהּ, וְאִתְגַּבָּר חֵילָא דְּנִשְׁמְתָא, וְאִתְיָישְׁבָא עַל הַהוּא אֲתָר. וּכְדֵין בַּר נָשׁ אִשְׁתְּלִים קַמֵּי מָארֵיהּ, כְּמָה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ, נֶפֶשׁ לְתַתָּא, וְרָזָא דְּמִלָּה דְּנִשְׁמְתָא לְעֵילָּא.

406. וְע"ד, מַאן דְּצַלֵּי צְלוֹתָא עַד לָא יֵיכוּל, קָאֵים גַּרְמֵיהּ כְּמָה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ, וְסַלְּקָא נִשְׁמְתָא עַל אֲתָר מוֹתְבָה כְּמָה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ, וְאִי אָכִיל עַד לָא צַלֵי צְלוֹתֵיהּ לְאִתְיַישְּׁבָא דָּמָא עַל אַתְרֵיהּ, הָא אִיהוּ כִּמְנַחֵשׁ וּמְעוֹנֵן. בְּגִין דְּהָא אִיהוּ אָרְחֵיהּ דִּמְנַחֵשׁ, לְסַלְּקָא לִסְטַר אַחֲרָא, וּלְמָאֲכָא סִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה.

407. אֲמַאי אִקְרֵי בַּר נָשׁ הַהוּא דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּהַהוּא סִטְרָא מְנַחֵשׁ. עַל דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּהַהוּא נָחָשׁ, לְאַתָּקְפָא חֵילֵיהּ וּלְאִתְגַּבְּרָא. וְדָא אִיהוּ כְּמַאן דְּפָלַח לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים. וְכֵן הַאי פָּלַח לְהַהוּא חֵילָא דְּדָמָא, וְלָא פָּלַח לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא , לְאַתָּקְפָא סִטְרָא דְּנִשְׁמְתָא, סִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה.

408. HE ASKS: WHY A MAN WHO EATS BEFORE PRAYING IS CALLED a diviner, AND ANSWERS: BECAUSE he worked towards sins and did not place his effort for merits, FOR THE HEBREW WORD SOOTHSAYER - (HEB. ME'ONEN), IS DERIVED FROM THE LETTERS OF THE WORD 'SIN' (HEB. AVON). And if you say that there is an extra Nun in the middle OF THE WORD ME'ONEN, AND THEREFORE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SAID 'MA'ON' WITHOUT THE EXTRA NUN IN THE MIDDLE, THEN HE EXPLAINS THAT it is assuredly so, for we cannot have power over the Other Side, only when we mix in it a little from the holy side, as a thin thread. Whoever wishes for a lie to endure, should mix some truth in it, so the lie will prevail. Therefore, a sin is a lie and in order to keep it intact, some truth is added. This is the meaning of Nun IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORD 'ME'ONEN', to keep the lie. THEREFORE he who does not pray for his blood (for himself) before the Holy One, blessed be He, before eating, is considered a diviner and soothsayer.

408. מְעוֹנֵן, דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּחוֹבָא, וְלָא אִשְׁתָּדַּל בִּזְכוּ. וְאִי תֵּימָא הָא קַיְּימָא נ' בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא. הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי, דְּהָא לָא יַכְלִין לְשַׁלְּטָאָה בְּהַהוּא סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא, עַד דְּאִתְעַרְבֵי בֵּיהּ עֵרוּבָא דִּסְטָר קְדוּשָּׁה, כְּחוּטָא חַד דָּקִיק. מַאן דְּבָעֵי לְקַיְּימָא שִׁקְרָא, יְעָרַב בָּהּ מִלָּה דִּקְשׁוֹט, בְּגִין דְּיִתְקַיֵּים הַהוּא שִׁקְרָא. וְעַל דָּא עָוֹן מִלָּה דְּשֶׁקֶר הוּא, וּבְגִין לְקַיְּימָא לֵיהּ, עָאלִין בָּהּ מִלָּה דִּקְשׁוֹט, וְדָא אִיהוּ נ', בְּדָא מְקַיְּימֵי לְהַהוּא שֶׁקֶר. וּמַאן דְּלָא צַלֵי צְלוֹתָא לְקַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, עַד לָא יֵיכוּל עַל דָּמֵיהּ, כִּמְנַחֵשׁ וּמְעוֹנֵן.