"Your eyes did see my unshaped flesh"

Synopsis

Rabbi Chizkiyah discourses on the title verse, revealing that before descending to earth, all souls stand before God in the same shape and form that they will possess in this world. The title verse alludes to this fact, since God sees all before they are seen in the world.

Relevance

Before a soul descends into the physical dimension, it stands before The Creator and promises to complete its correction process, seeking redemption for past life iniquities by way of spiritual transformation. The negative angel Satan and the trappings of our seductive material world cause forgetfulness. We succumb to temptations that glorify our own ego and thus, break our commitment to The Creator. Here we can awaken remembrance of our divine promise and receive inspiration and passion to pursue the path of spiritual transformation.

Body Creation Eyes Flesh Soul, The

497. Rabbi Chizkiyah opened the discussion saying, "Your eyes did see my unshaped flesh; for in Your book all things are written" (Tehilim 139:16). This verse has been expounded in several places. Yet come and see, All the souls which have existed since the Creation of the world, all stand before the Holy One, blessed be He, before descending into the world, assuming the very shape in which they are seen in the world. In that same appearance of the person's body that lives in this world, so does it remain above.

497. ר' חִזְקִיָּה פְּתַח, גָּלְמִי רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וְעַל סִפְרְךָ כֻּלָּם יִכָּתֵבוּ וגו,' הַאי קְרָא אוֹקְמוּהָ בְּכַמָּה אֲתַר. אֲבָל תָּא חֲזֵי, כָּל אִינוּן נִשְׁמָתִין דַּהֲווֹ מִיּוֹמָא דְאִתְבְּרֵי עַלְמָא, כֻּלְּהוּ קָיְימֵי קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עַד לָא נָחֲתוּ לְעַלְמָא, בְּהַהוּא דְּיוֹקְנָא מַמָּשׁ דְּאִתְחֲזוּן לְבָתַר בְּעַלְמָא, וְהַהוּא חֵיזוּ דְגוּפָא דְּבַר נָשׁ דְּקָאֵים בְּהַאי עַלְמָא, הָכֵי קָאֵים לְעֵילָא.

Precepts Soul, The Torah

498. וּבְשַׁעְתָּא דְנִשְׁמָתָא דָא זְמִינָא לַאֲחָתָא בְּעַלְמָא, הַהִיא נִשְׁמָתָא בְּהַהִיא דְיוֹקְנָא מַמָּשׁ דְּקָיְימָא בְּהַאי עַלְמָא, הָכֵי קָאֵים קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְאוֹמֵי לָהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּיִטּוֹר פִּקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, וְלָא יַעֲבָר עַל קְיָימִין.

Creation Eyes Flesh Garments Soul, The

499. Whence do we know that THE SOULS stand before Him? From the verse, "As Hashem, the Elohim of Yisrael lives, before whom I stood" (I Melachim 17:1), stood assuredly BEFORE BEING CREATED, as has been explained. Therefore, "Your eyes did see my unshaped flesh" before it was seen in the world; "for in Your book all things are written" as all the souls in their very shapes are recorded in a book. "The days also in which they are to be fashioned" (Tehilim 139:16), indeed they are fashioned, as explained, MEANING, THEY ARE MADE A GARMENT TO WEAR; "there was not one of them" (Ibid.), AS NOT ONE DAY in this world could stand properly before its Master.

499. וּמנ"ל דְּקָיְימִין קַמֵּיהּ, דִּכְתִיב חַי יי' אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתִּי לְפָנָיו, עָמַדְתִּי וַדַּאי, וְהָא אוֹקְמוּהָ. וּבְג"כ גָּלְמִי רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ, עַד לָא יִתְחֲזֵי בְּעַלְמָא. וְעַל סִפְרְךָ כֻּלָּם יִכָּתֵבוּ, דְּהָא כָּל נִשְׁמָתִין, בְּהַהוּא דְּיוֹקְנָא דִּלְהוֹן, כֻּלְּהוּ בְּסִפְרָא כְּתִיבִין. יָמִים יֻצָּרוּ, הָא אוֹקְמוּהָ יֻצָרוּ וַדַּאי, וְלֹא אֶחָד בָּהֶם, בְּהַאי עַלְמָא לְמֵיקַם בְּקִיּוּמָא דְמָארֵיהוֹן, כִּדְקָא חָזֵי.