סימן ג-אקרוקתא

Siman Three — Akaruktaסימן ג — אקרוקתא "And when midnight split…" — Zohar, Vayechi, p. 217. See Mikdash Melech there; and see the Etz Chaim, Heichal 7, Sha'ar 8, Sha'ar HaKelippos, ch. 2 — there the entire matter of the above birds is explained fully: that they draw from the breasts of Malchus, and their drawing is only at night; and that they are the aspect of the mochin of Malchus d'Kelipah.

[See also Zohar, Lech Lecha, p. 92b — regarding Dovid rising at midnight: "My kingship depends on this… for night is the time of the law of the kingdom [dina d'Malchusah]…" — see there. And see Zohar, Vayechi, p. 242b — that through Torah study at night after midnight, all those evil species enter into the hollow of the great abyss.] [See also Zohar, Lech Lecha, p. 92b — regarding Dovid rising at midnight: "My kingship depends on this… for night is the time of the law of the kingdom [dina d'Malchusah]…" — see there. And see Zohar, Vayechi, p. 242b — that through Torah study at night after midnight, all those evil species enter into the hollow of the great abyss.] "And the rectification is… through studying Oral Torah [Torah she'b'al peh] at night… namely through studying the six Orders [shishah sidrim] one rectifies the six rings [shis izka'in]…" And likewise it is then explained there that "sixty houses" — meaning sixty tractates. And it is already well known that there is no Gemara on all sixty tractates. From this it appears that the beginning of the rectification is through studying the six Orders of Mishnah — which are the essence of Oral Torah, which is the aspect of night, the aspect of: "Malchus is the Mouth, and Oral Torah is what we call her" [Pesicha d'Eliyahu]. Only, since the essential completion of Mishnah study is through Gemara — as the Sages taught: "Gemara — there is no measure finer than it" [Bava Metzia 33] — therefore the essential perfection is to study Mishnah together with its Gemara explanation at night. And see what the Targum interprets on the verse: "Arise, cry out in the night, arise…" [Lamentations 2:19] — "engage in Mishnah at night."

There: "But when one studies not for its own sake [shelo lishmah] — meaning for the sake of being called 'Rabbi' — the study is not of such great importance…" — [See Tosfos on Brachos p. 17, and Tosfos on Ta'anis p. 7 — that this form of study falls under the category of what the Sages taught: "A person should always engage in Torah and mitzvos even not for their own sake, for through not-for-its-own-sake one comes to for-its-own-sake" ; and also in the chapter Makom she'Nahagu, p. 50b. There: "But when one studies not for its own sake [shelo lishmah] — meaning for the sake of being called 'Rabbi' — the study is not of such great importance…" — [See Tosfos on Brachos p. 17, and Tosfos on Ta'anis p. 7 — that this form of study falls under the category of what the Sages taught: "A person should always engage in Torah and mitzvos even not for their own sake, for through not-for-its-own-sake one comes to for-its-own-sake" [Pesachim 50b]; and also in the chapter Makom she'Nahagu, p. 50b.

And it is said about this: "For Your kindness is great unto the heavens" [Psalms 57]. But nonetheless it is not of such great importance as one who studies truly for its own sake.] And when one studies at night, a thread of kindness [chut shel chesed] is drawn upon him [Chagigah 12b], and it protects him so that the above thought does not harm him. At first glance one might say: this means that even if one entertains the above thought — which is a thought of this-worldly benefit, through which the kindness only reaches "unto the heavens," as explained in Chiddushei Aggados on Pesachim there — nonetheless, through the thread of kindness drawn upon him by night study, the study also avails for the above matter [the supernal, spiritual dimension, which is "above the heavens"]. And I found this explained explicitly in this discourse in the handwritten manuscript. And one can also discern this somewhat from what is said afterwards: "The serpent came and swallowed her" — meaning: through studying not for its own sake, the serpent swallows it. "The frog came and swallowed her" — meaning: through studying at night, it protects him from the serpent.

At first glance this seems to mean: even if one studied not for its own sake — only to be called Rabbi — nevertheless the thread of kindness protects him from the serpent. But one must also examine: even without the thread of kindness, why does the serpent swallow study done for the sake of being called Rabbi — seeing as it falls under the category of "through not-for-its-own-sake one comes to for-its-own-sake," and about it is said: "For Your kindness is great unto the heavens"? And one must further examine from the concluding verse: "For Your kindness is great above the heavens" — and the Sages expounded this verse specifically regarding one who studies for its own sake [lishmah]. At first glance this seems to mean: even if one studied not for its own sake — only to be called Rabbi — nevertheless the thread of kindness protects him from the serpent. But one must also examine: even without the thread of kindness, why does the serpent swallow study done for the sake of being called Rabbi — seeing as it falls under the category of "through not-for-its-own-sake one comes to for-its-own-sake," and about it is said: "For Your kindness is great unto the heavens"? And one must further examine from the concluding verse: "For Your kindness is great above the heavens" [Psalms 108] — and the Sages expounded this verse [Pesachim 50b] specifically regarding one who studies for its own sake [lishmah].

According to this, what is said afterwards is very apt: "For Your kindness is great unto the heavens" — for through study for the sake of being called Rabbi, a measure of kindness is also drawn upon him [and especially when he studies at night, the kindness protects him from deteriorating to study that is entirely not for its own sake] — and then automatically, through not-for-its-own-sake he comes to for-its-own-sake, and then: "For Your kindness is great above the heavens." Therefore it seems correct to explain: the thread of kindness protects him so that the above thought does not harm him — meaning: so that he does not come through the "for the sake of Rabbi" study to a state of study that is entirely not for its own sake. And so it is explained in Likutay Aytsos, Torah Study, Letter 7, which reads: "Through studying Gemara at night, a thread of kindness is drawn upon him and he is saved from thoughts of not-for-its-own-sake…" According to this, what is said afterwards is very apt: "For Your kindness is great unto the heavens" — for through study for the sake of being called Rabbi, a measure of kindness is also drawn upon him [and especially when he studies at night, the kindness protects him from deteriorating to study that is entirely not for its own sake] — and then automatically, through not-for-its-own-sake he comes to for-its-own-sake, and then: "For Your kindness is great above the heavens." But there still remains a difficulty: in Psalm 57 it says: "Awake, O lute and harp; I will awaken the dawn" — and the Sages interpreted [Brachos 3b] that he was studying Torah at night and it was he who was awakening the dawn [in which interpretation the proximity of "awake the lute and harp" to "I will awaken the dawn" is very apt, since Torah study at night is the rectification of the song [neginah] as above] — and adjacent to it: "For Your kindness is great unto the heavens" — which the Sages expound regarding one who engages not for its own sake. And likewise in Psalm 108: "Awake, O lute and harp…" — and there it says: "For Your kindness is great above the heavens." It is therefore apparent that even within night study there is a distinction between one who studies truly for its own sake and one who does not. Therefore, it seems correct to bring the matter closer to understanding, in which way everything is resolved and both of the above interpretations are consistent with each other. For just as in the service of Hashem in general, there are things that are obligatory and a mitzvah; things that are not obligatory or a mitzvah but are permitted and optional; and things that are forbidden — because they are entirely of the impure kelippos — and the aspect of optional/permitted is the aspect of Klipas Nogah, which sometimes is included in holiness and sometimes in the Sitra Achra, while a mitzvah is the aspect of complete holiness — so too there are such gradations in Torah study: Study truly lishmah [for its own sake] is an obligation and a mitzvah — the ultimate perfection of holiness. Study entirely shelo lishmah — merely to score points, with no intention whatsoever to fulfill and practice — this is of the category of the forbidden and entirely impure kelippos, and about this the Sages said: "Better for him had his placenta been turned over his face" [Shemos Rabbah 40] and similar statements. And study that is al menas la'asos v'lekayaym [with the intention to do and fulfill] — only that one also has a minor secondary intention of personal benefit, for the sake of being called Rabbi — this is of the aspect of Klipas Nogah. Sometimes this comes to the aspect of study entirely not for its own sake — that is the aspect of Klipas Nogah being absorbed into the Sitra Achra, G-d forbid. And sometimes it is absorbed into holiness — for through it one eventually comes to the aspect of study truly for its own sake, in the aspect of "through not-for-its-own-sake one comes to for-its-own-sake." And since it is impossible to immediately attain, at the beginning of one's study, the level of studying purely for its own sake — the Sages therefore permitted it and said: "A person should always engage in Torah…through not-for-its-own-sake one comes to for-its-own-sake" [Pesachim 50b]. That is: since he studies with the intention to fulfill, he knows that the essence of study must be purely for its own sake — only that he cannot yet attain this fully at the beginning of study. The Sages therefore permitted him to study this way for now, and through not-for-its-own-sake he comes to for-its-own-sake. [All the commentators have already elaborated greatly on this matter.] And through this one can also explain the intention of the Sages — that the study of Oral Torah at night is the rectification of the song [neginah] — as explained there. But since the birds of the Sitra Achra are the aspect of the mochin of Malchus d'Kelipah — which is the aspect of pride and arrogance, as is known — therefore they can take hold within the study itself, making it be shelo lishmah. The totality of Israel, however, is far from entirely not-for-its-own-sake study. Rather, they [the birds] begin by making one study somewhat not for its own sake — for the sake of being called Rabbi. [Since through study one merits the aspect of "make for yourself a teacher" [aseh lecha rav], as explained below, they can take hold by making one study for the sake of being called Rabbi.] Then afterwards this can deteriorate to entirely not-for-its-own-sake study. "The serpent came and swallowed her" — for the serpent wants to swallow the study and incites the person to study entirely not for its own sake, by first inciting him to study for the sake of being called Rabbi — this is the aspect of Rabbah who says to him [see also Siman 15 for something similar]. But through studying Torah at night, the thread of kindness is drawn upon him and he is saved through this from the thought of entirely not-for-its-own-sake study — that is, protects him so that the thought does not harm him — meaning: so that he does not deteriorate from study for the sake of Rabbi to entirely not-for-its-own-sake study. And therefore, automatically, when the kindness protects him from this, the study for the sake of Rabbi is absorbed into holiness in the aspect of "through not-for-its-own-sake one comes to for-its-own-sake." And therefore even through this study, the rectification of the song is accomplished as above. And this is what is said in Psalm 57: "For Your kindness is great unto the heavens" — for even through study for the sake of being called Rabbi, kindness is drawn upon him [and especially when he studies at night, the kindness protects him from deteriorating to entirely not-for-its-own-sake study] — and then automatically "through not-for-its-own-sake he comes to for-its-own-sake," and then: "For Your kindness is great above the heavens." See Likutay Halachos, Apotropos, Halacha 3, where it is also explained that the thread of kindness protects him so that he merits to study for its own sake — see there further. There: "Tzfardaya [frog] — meaning tzipor da'ah [bird of knowledge]." This phrase is found in Tanna d'Bei Eliyahu, Part 1, ch. 7. And the meaning here is: the birds that are the mochin within Malchus — as is also explained in the Siddur of the Holy Ari, in the Seder Haggadah of Pesach, regarding the plague of frogs. It is therefore apparent that even within night study there is a distinction between one who studies truly for its own sake and one who does not. Therefore, it seems correct to bring the matter closer to understanding, in which way everything is resolved and both of the above interpretations are consistent with each other. For just as in the service of Hashem in general, there are things that are obligatory and a mitzvah; things that are not obligatory or a mitzvah but are permitted and optional; and things that are forbidden — because they are entirely of the impure kelippos — and the aspect of optional/permitted is the aspect of Klipas Nogah, which sometimes is included in holiness and sometimes in the Sitra Achra, while a mitzvah is the aspect of complete holiness — so too there are such gradations in Torah study: