ערך תלמוד תורה

But one who deviates, G-d forbid, from faith — and errs, G-d forbid, in the heresies of the naturalistic philosophers — and believes there is nature, G-d forbid — then he has no life at all. For all his days [are] anger and pain — and "all the days of the wicked he writhes, etc." [Job 15:20]. "In peace — ruin will come upon him" [Job 15:21]. For he fears lest sudden destruction come upon him. And when some affliction and suffering comes upon him — he has no one to turn to for salvation. And therefore he is full of sorrow and suffering and fears and sadness always — and has no life at all. And as is explained elsewhere. But one who has complete faith in the will — who knows that everything is only through His blessed will — he merits great joy. And all the fears and dreads he has from any matter in the world — they are all transformed into great joy. For through this he returns to G-d and knows that everything is for the good as above. The study of Torah that one studies at night is closer to ascending toward the Shechinah — both from the person's side and from the Shechinah's side, as it were. For a person can nullify himself and cleave to Him, blessed be He, at night more than by day — because then the world rests somewhat from the pursuit of this world. And the Shechinah too is close to the person who studies at night and attends to his voice. As it is written: "Rise, cry out in the night, etc. — directly before the face of G-d" [Lamentations 2:19] — specifically directly before the face of G-d. For the Shechinah is close to him — and he is directly before the face of G-d literally. For at night the Shechinah is in the lower worlds — and then the essential resting of the Shechinah is with the person who studies then.

The essential purification from the soiled garments [begodim tzo'im] that cling to every person — from which come all the obstacles and hindrances from the service of G-d — the essential purification from them is through the holy Torah. Which is called a well of living waters, and a never-ceasing river, and a strengthening fountain. For these soiled garments — which every person has for as long as he has not repaired his sins, and especially one who has become soiled as he has become soiled, G-d protect us — through this the obstacles and screens are aroused and intensified over him every single time and spread before him. And interrupt very — [very] — greatly between him and holiness — like a river that literally cuts off. And these soiled garments are the aspect of the sinking mire [tit hayaven] — the aspect of tit hayaven [deep mire] — that clings greatly every single time. And from there come all the falls and the distancing of many people from G-d. For even if he is sometimes awakened to return to G-d — immediately they spread against him and do not allow him to draw close. And so every single time. And for — [for] — this King David, peace be upon him, cried out on behalf of all of Israel: "I have sunk in deep mire and there is no foothold, etc. — rescue me from the mire, and let me not sink, etc." [Psalms 69:3, 15]. And the essential repair for this is the holy Torah. For the Torah is a source of living water — that purifies from all pollutions and filths — in the aspect of: "And I will sprinkle upon you pure water, etc." [Ezekiel 36:25]. And this every person must know: that even if he is as he is — if he flees every single time to the Torah — whether much or little at least — even if it is impossible for him because of livelihood or other obstacles — at the very least when he establishes himself upon Torah — to study each and every day however things may be and whatever may pass over him — then certainly in the end he will be purified from all the soiled garments and will draw close to G-d in truth. For even though they encircle the person greatly — and every single time a person is awakened toward G-d, they intensify even more — as is brought in the writings of the Arizal, of blessed memory: that there are those over whom the depths of the sea [metzulos yam] — which are the evil and shameful thoughts — intensify even more, especially at the time of their engaging in Torah and prayer. But even so — if he does not abandon his place and forces his thought to draw it into Torah and prayer every single time — however things may be — certainly in the end the Torah will purify him from all the aforementioned. For the Torah is the aspect of a never-ceasing river, etc. — that no impurity or filth can endure against it. For all the impurities and pollutions it sweeps away and nullifies them in an instant. Only the essential thing is that he be strong in this — for afterwards they return and intensify even more. And he must return and flee to the Torah. And so every single time. And this is the aspect of: kova'as itim l'Torah — kava'as specifically — that his engagement in Torah be with great regularity, even for one who engages in Torah only some times and hours and not all day. At the very least he must be careful that these times and hours be with great regularity each and every day — a statute not to be crossed! In order to flee every single time to the source of living water that purifies from all the impurities and soiled garments as above.

There are fifty gates of holiness and forty-nine gates that can be attained. And the fiftieth gate — concerning it it is said: "and You have made him slightly less than G-d" [Psalms 8:6] — for it is the aspect of "in what is too wondrous for you" — and it is impossible to attain. And likewise the reverse — there are fifty gates of impurity. And when a person's heart blazes even toward holiness beyond the measure — which is the aspect of wishing to enter a level that is the aspect of "in what is too wondrous for you" for his own level — and then he is in the aspect of wishing to attain what is the aspect of the fiftieth gate according to his level — then the abundance of light causes the shattering of the vessels [sheviras hakelim], G-d forbid. From which comes the essential nourishment of impurity. And through this he can fall entirely into the reverse — into the aspect of the blazing of the heart of the sitra achra — which is the aspect of the heart burning excessively toward all evil desires. Which are the aspect of the fifty gates of impurity, G-d protect us. And this is the aspect of: "They ascend to the heavens and descend to the depths" [Psalms 107:26] — since the ascent is not in the proper order — therefore also the descent is to the depths, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of: "Lest they breach [their boundary] to ascend to G-d and fall, etc." [Exodus 19:24]. And this is the aspect of: "Do not be overly righteous, and do not be overly wicked" [Ecclesiastes 7:16–17]. And through the Torah — which was given on the fiftieth day — through this one exits from the fifty gates of impurity to the fifty gates of holiness. For through the Torah one cools both types of blazing aforementioned. For through the Torah one compresses the light of the fiftieth gate and draws from it a great illumination to the forty-nine gates of holiness — which is the aspect of: "refined sevenfold" [Psalms 12:7] — said of the Torah. And likewise through the Torah one shatters and nullifies the fiftieth gate of impurity. And then automatically all the forty-nine gates of impurity are nullified — whose nourishment derives from their fiftieth gate. And then all the holy sparks are extracted from the fifty gates of impurity and encompassed within the fifty gates of holiness. For "sins are transformed into merits." And then from them is made the aspect of one hundred gates — the aspect of one hundred blessings — as explained in the inner teachings.

The essential blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was — that the aspects of lamdan [scholar] and Tzadik were not united together. Which is the aspect of the blemish of those scholars who dispute the Tzaddikim — who say that the essential thing is only the study itself, and that there is no need to draw close to the Tzaddikim and to repair one's deeds at all. And in the end — both this and that eluded them. For afterwards they also threw off Torah study entirely — as is found, in our many sins, in many people who in their youth engaged in Torah somewhat, and afterwards removed the yoke of Torah entirely and also corrupted their deeds more than those unlearned in Torah. And all of this — because they paid no attention at all to the repair of their deeds and did not strive to draw close to the truly righteous Tzaddikim. And said that the essential thing is the study. And in the end — both this and that were not sustained in their hands. For in truth the essential repair of Torah study is through the aspect of Tzadik. And one who separates the aspect of lamdan from the aspect of Tzadik — he is the aspect of Acher [the one who went astray] — who cut down the shoots [katzatz b'neti'os]. For the purpose of Torah is repentance and good deeds — as our Sages of blessed memory said. And when the scholar bows himself before the Tzadik — then he merits to form the letters of the Torah for good through the power of the Tzadik who is the true master — as explained in the inner teachings. But when he is not subject to him — and certainly when he disputes him, G-d forbid — then: "if he has not merited — it becomes for him a deadly poison." For he forms the letters of the Torah in the reverse — [the reverse] — G-d forbid. Through separating between the aspect of lamdan and the aspect of Tzadik. For the essential forming of the letters of the Torah for good — that they be in the aspect of a life-giving remedy [sam chayyim] — is only through the true Tzadik who has merited the guarding of the bris to the ultimate perfection. And even one who does not merit that he himself should be in the aspect of Tzadik in perfection — even so, if he humbles himself at least before the Tzadik — like a servant before his master — then all his Torah and study and all his deeds receive repair through the true Tzadik, who forms everything for good. And then it is said of him also: "If he has merited — it becomes for him a life-giving remedy" — through the power of the Tzadik.

And this is the aspect of: "They ascend to the heavens and descend to the depths" [Psalms 107:26] — since the ascent is not in the proper order — therefore also the descent is to the depths, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of: "Lest they breach [their boundary] to ascend to G-d and fall, etc." [Exodus 19:24]. And this is the aspect of: "Do not be overly righteous, and do not be overly wicked" [Ecclesiastes 7:16–17].