Daily learning

ו וְכַנּוֹדָע מַה שֶּׁאָמַר הַבַּעַל־שֵׁם־טוֹב זִכְרוֹנוֹ־לִבְרָכָה עַל פָּסוּק: ״לְעוֹלָם ה׳ דְּבָרְךָ נִצָּב בַּשָּׁמָיִם״, שֶׁצֵּירוּף אוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁנִּבְרְאוּ בָּהֶן הַשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁהוּא מַאֲמַר ״יְהִי רָקִיעַ כוּ׳״ – הֵן נִצָּבוֹת וְעוֹמְדוֹת מְלוּבָּשׁוֹת בַּשָּׁמַיִם לְעוֹלָם לְהַחֲיוֹתָם וּלְקַיְּימָם.

6And as known what the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, said¹² on the verse¹³ “Forever, O L–rd, Your word stands firm in the heavens”: The combinations of the letters wherewith the heavens were created, i.e., the fiat “Let there be a firmament…,”¹⁴ stand and remain vested in the Heavens forever, to vivify and sustain them.

זוְלֹא כְּהַפִּלוֹסוֹפִים שֶׁכּוֹפְרִים בְּהַשְׁגָּחָה פְרָטִית, וּמְדַמִּין בְּדִמְיוֹנָם הַכּוֹזֵב אֶת מַעֲשֵׂה ה׳, ״עוֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ״, לְמַעֲשֵׂה אֱנוֹשׁ וְתַחְבּוּלוֹתָיו: כִּי, כַּאֲשֶׁר יָצָא לַצּוֹרֵף כְּלִי – שׁוּב אֵין הַכְּלִי צָרִיךְ לִידֵי הַצּוֹרֵף, שֶׁאַף שֶׁיָּדָיו מְסוּלָּקוֹת הֵימֶנּוּ – הוּא קַיָּים מֵעַצְמוֹ. וְ״טַח מֵרְאוֹת עֵינֵיהֶם״, הַהֶבְדֵּל הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁבֵּין מַעֲשֵׂה אֱנוֹשׁ וְתַחְבּוּלוֹתָיו שֶׁהוּא יֵשׁ מִיֵּשׁ, רַק שֶׁמְּשַׁנֶּה הַצּוּרָה וְהַתְּמוּנָה, לְמַעֲשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ, שֶׁהוּא יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן –

7This is unlike the theory of the philosophers who deny individual providence.¹⁵ They, in their false imagination, compare the work of G–d, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, to the work of man and his schemes: when the metalsmith has completed a vessel, the vessel no longer needs the hands of the smith. For though his hands are removed from it, it remains intact by itself. But their eyes are bedaubed so that they cannot see¹⁶ the great difference between man’s work and schemes—[which is (the production of) something out of something (yesh meyesh), except that he changes the form and the image]—and the making of heaven and earth [which is creatio ex nihilo (yesh meayin)].

חוְהוּא פֶּלֶא גָּדוֹל יוֹתֵר מִקְּרִיעַת יַם־סוּף עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, אֲשֶׁר הוֹלִיךְ ה׳ בְּרוּחַ קָדִים עַזָּה כָּל הַלַּיְלָה וַיִּבָּקְעוּ הַמָּיִם, וְאִילּוּ פָּסַק הָרוּחַ כְּרֶגַע – הָיוּ הַמַּיִם חוֹזְרִים וְנִיגָּרִים בְּמוֹרָד כְּדַרְכָּם וְטִבְעָם וְלֹא קָמוּ כְּחוֹמָה, אַף שֶׁטֶּבַע זֶה בַּמַּיִם הוּא גַם כֵּן נִבְרָא וּמְחוּדָּשׁ יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן, שֶׁהֲרֵי חוֹמַת אֲבָנִים נִצֶּבֶת מֵעַצְמָהּ בְּלִי רוּחַ, רַק שֶׁטֶּבַע הַמַּיִם אֵינוֹ כֵן, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן וְקַל וָחוֹמֶר בִּבְרִיאַת יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן, שֶׁהִיא לְמַעְלָה מֵהַטֶּבַע וְהַפְלֵא וָפֶלֶא יוֹתֵר מִקְּרִיעַת יַם־סוּף, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה, שֶׁבְּהִסְתַּלְּקוּת חַס וְשָׁלוֹם כֹּחַ הַבּוֹרֵא – יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן – מִן הַנִּבְרָא – יָשׁוּב הַנִּבְרָא לְאַיִן וָאֶפֶס מַמָּשׁ, אֶלָּא, צָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת כֹּחַ הַפּוֹעֵל בַּנִּפְעָל תָּמִיד – לְהַחֲיוֹתוֹ וּלְקַיְּימוֹ, וּבְחִינָה זוֹ הוּא ״דְּבַר ה׳״ וְ״רוּחַ פִּיו״ שֶׁבַּעֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת שֶׁבָּהֶן נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם.

8(The latter) is a wonder much greater than, for example, the splitting of the Red Sea—which the L–rd caused to go back “by a strong eastwind all that night…and the waters were divided.”¹⁷ If the wind had ceased but for a moment, the waters would again have flowed downward, as is their way and nature. They would not have stood upright as a wall, even though this characteristic of the water,¹⁸ too, was created and innovated ex nihilo (yesh meayin). A wall of stones stands erect by itself, without any wind, but this is not of the nature of water. Now, a fortiori, and a minori ad majus, with respect to the creation of substantiality ex nihilo [which transcends nature and is more wondrous than the splitting of the Red Sea], how much more so would a withdrawal, Heaven forfend, of the force of the Creator [(bringing about) substantiality ex nihilo] from the creature, cause the creature to revert to absolute naught and nothingness! The operative force¹⁹ thus needs to remain constantly in the effect,²⁰ to vivify and sustain it.²¹ This aspect is the “word of the L–rd” and the “breath of His mouth” of the ten fiats wherewith the universe was created.²²

טוַאֲפִילוּ אֶרֶץ הַלֵּזוּ הַגַּשְׁמִית וּבְחִינַת דּוֹמֵם שֶׁבָּהּ – חַיּוּתָן וְקִיּוּמָן הוּא ״דְבַר ה׳״ מִי׳ מַאֲמָרוֹת הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בָּהֶן וּמְקַיְּימָן לִהְיוֹת דּוֹמֵם וְ״יֵשׁ״ מֵ״אַיִן״, וְלֹא יַחְזְרוּ לְאַיִן וָאֶפֶס מַמָּשׁ כְּשֶׁהָיוּ.

9And even this material world, and the inorganic class in it, their vivification and sustenance is the “word of the L–rd” of the ten fiats that has become vested in them and sustains them to be inorganic matter and substantiality ex nihilo, so that they will not revert to the absolute naught and nothingness they had been.

יוְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר הָאֲרִיזַ״ל, שֶׁגַּם בְּדוֹמֵם, כַּאֲבָנִים וְעָפָר וּמַיִם, יֵשׁ בָּהֶם בְּחִינַת נֶפֶשׁ וְחַיּוּת רוּחָנִיִּית.

10And this is the meaning of the statement of the Arizal,²³ that there is a type of soul and spiritual vivification even in inorganic matter as stones, and dust, and water.²⁴

Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org

Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org