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טו אַךְ בֶּאֱמֶת, כְּשֶׁתְּדַקְדֵּק בִּלְשׁוֹן רַעְיָא מְהֵימְנָא דִלְעֵיל, ״וְאִילָנָא דְּטוֹב וָרָע דְּאִיהוּ אִיסּוּר וְהֶיתֵּר כוּ׳״, וְלֹא אָמַר ״תּוֹרַת אִיסּוּר וְהֶיתֵּר״ אוֹ ״הִלְכוֹת אִיסּוּר וְהֶיתֵּר״, אֶלָּא רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר, דְּגוּף דָּבָר הָאָסוּר וְדָבָר הַמּוּתָּר – הוּא מֵאִילָנָא דְטוֹב וָרָע, שֶׁהוּא קְלִיפַּת נוֹגַהּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּעֵץ חַיִּים.

15But, in truth, when you will examine closely the above-quoted text of the Raaya Mehemna—“And the Tree of Good and Evil, i.e., prohibition and permission…” (you will note that) he did not say “the teaching of prohibition and permission” or “the laws of prohibition and permission.” Rather, he meant to say that “that which is prohibited,” and “that which is permitted” is of the Tree of Good and Evil, i.e., of kelipat nogah,⁵⁸ as stated in Etz Chaim.⁵⁹

טזוְזֶהוּ לְשׁוֹן ״אָסוּר״, שֶׁהַקְּלִיפָּה שׁוֹרָה עָלָיו וְאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַעֲלוֹת לְמַעְלָה כְּדָבָר הַ״מּוּתָּר״, דְּהַיְינוּ – שֶׁאֵינוֹ קָשׁוּר וְאָסוּר בִּקְלִיפָּה, וְיוּכַל לַעֲלוֹת עַל־יְדֵי הָאָדָם הָאוֹכְלוֹ בְּכַוָּונָה לַה׳, וְגַם בִּסְתָם, כָּל אָדָם הָעוֹבֵד ה׳ שֶׁבְּכֹחַ הָאֲכִילָה הַהִיא לוֹמֵד וּמִתְפַּלֵּל לַה׳, וְנִמְצָא שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה אוֹתִיּוֹת הַתּוֹרָה וְהַתְּפִלָּה הָעוֹלָה לַה׳ – מִכֹּחַ הַנִּבְרָר מֵהַמַּאֲכָל הַהוּא.

16That, too, is the etymological meaning of assur:⁶⁰ the kelipah hovers over it and it cannot rise upward like that which is muttar,⁶¹ i.e., it is not tied and bound (assur) to the kelipah and is able to ascend by means of the person consuming it with his mind on G–d,⁶² or by any person serving G–d.⁶³ For it is with the energy from this consumption that he studies and prays to G–d. Thus, from the energy extracted from that food are formed the the letters of Torah and of the prayers which ascend to G–d.

יזוְזֶהוּ בְּחוֹל, אֲבָל בְּשַׁבָּת שֶׁיֵּשׁ עֲלִיָּה לִקְלִיפַּת נוֹגַהּ בְּעַצְמָהּ עִם הַחִיצוֹנִיּוּת שֶׁבְּכָל הָעוֹלָמוֹת, לָכֵן, מִצְוָה לֶאֱכוֹל כָּל תַּעֲנוּגִים בְּשַׁבָּת וּלְהַרְבּוֹת בְּבָשָׂר וְיַיִן, אַף שֶׁבְּחוֹל נִקְרָא זוֹלֵל וְסוֹבֵא.

17This is so during the week. But on Shabbat, the kelipat nogah itself is elevated along with the chitzoniyut of all the worlds.⁶⁴ On Shabbat it is, therefore, a duty to eat all delightful things, and to consume much meat and wine,⁶⁵ even though during the week⁶⁶ he would be called a glutton and drunkard.⁶⁷

יחמַה־שֶּׁאֵין־כֵּן בִּדְבַר אִיסּוּר, שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַעֲלוֹת לֹא בְּשַׁבָּת וְלֹא בְּחוֹל, גַּם כְּשֶׁמִּתְפַּלֵּל וְלוֹמֵד בַּכֹּחַ הַהוּא, אִם לֹא שֶׁאָכַל לְפִיקּוּחַ נֶפֶשׁ שֶׁהִתִּירוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה וְנַעֲשָׂה הֶיתֵּר [גָּמוּר].

18It is otherwise with a proscribed matter. It cannot ascend, either on Shabbat or during the weekdays, even if one were to pray and study with that energy [unless one ate to save an endangered life, which is permitted by our Sages, of blessed memory,⁶⁸ and becomes permissible (hetter)⁶⁹].

יטאֲבָל הַלִּימּוּד בַּתּוֹרָה, אַף הִלְכוֹת אִיסּוּר וְהֶיתֵּר טוּמְאָה וְטָהֳרָה, שֶׁהֵם הַמִּשְׁנָיוֹת וּבָרַיְיתוֹת שֶׁבַּגְּמָרָא וּפוֹסְקִים, הַמְבָאֲרִים וּמְבָרְרִים דִּבְרֵיהֶם לַהֲלָכָה לְמַעֲשֶׂה, הֵן הֵן גּוּפֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל־פֶּה, שֶׁהִיא סְפִירַת מַלְכוּת דַּאֲצִילוּת, כִּדְאִיתָא בַּזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בִּמְקוֹמוֹת אֵין מִסְפָּר, וּבְרֵישׁ תִּיקּוּנִים: ״מַלְכוּת – פֶּה, תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה קָרִינָן לָהּ״, וּבַאֲצִילוּת – ״אִיהוּ וְגַרְמוֹהִי חַד בְּהוֹן״, דְּהַיְינוּ, שֶׁאוֹר־אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מִתְיַיחֵד בַּאֲצִילוּת בְּתַכְלִית הַיִּחוּד, שֶׁהוּא וּרְצוֹנוֹ וְחָכְמָתוֹ הַמְלוּבָּשִׁים בְּדִבּוּרוֹ שֶׁנִּקְרָא ״מַלְכוּת״ – הַכֹּל אֶחָד:

19But the study of Torah, even the laws of ritual prohibition and permission, impurity and purity [i.e., the Mishnayot, and the Beraitot in the Gemara, and the codifiers, which expound and clarify their words for practical application], these, precisely these are the fundamentals of the Oral Torah, which is the sefirah malchut of Atzilut, as mentioned in innumerable places in the sacred Zohar and at the beginning of the Tikkunim:⁷⁰ “Malchut—the mouth, which we call the Oral Torah.” And in Atzilut “He and His causations are one in them,”⁷¹ that is, the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, unites itself in Atzilut in an absolute unity, so that He, and His will and wisdom [vested in His speech, which is called malchut⁷²] are entirely one.

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

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