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ד וּמַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב בְּפָרָשַׁת פְּקוּדֵי: ״גּוֹ רָקִיעַ תַּתָּאָה״, וּבְפָרָשַׁת וַיַּקְהֵל מַשְׁמַע דְּדַוְקָא ״אִי אִיהִי מִלָּא כִּדְקָא יָאוּת סָלְקִין עִמָּהּ״ עַד אֲוִירָא דְּרָקִיעַ דִּלְעֵילָּא כוּ׳ – לֹא קָשֶׁה מִידֵי: דְּרָקִיעַ תַּתָּאָה מֵאִינּוּן רְקִיעִין דְּמִדַּבְּרֵי גּוֹ עָלְמָא שֶׁבְּפָרָשַׁת פְּקוּדֵי – הֵן דְּמַלְכוּת דַּעֲשִׂיָּה, וּדְפָרָשַׁת וַיַּקְהֵל – הֵן דִּ״זְעֵיר אַנְפִּין״ דַּעֲשִׂיָּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּעֵץ חַיִּים שַׁעַר הַשֵּׁמוֹת פֶּרֶק ג׳ גַּבֵּי ״זְעֵיר אַנְפִּין״ דַּעֲשִׂיָּיה, עַיֵּין שָׁם.
4 To return to the quotation from Zohar , Parashat Pekudei , “in the lowest firmament,” while in Vayakhel the implication is that only “if it is a seemly word does it ascend with it to the atmosphere of the firmaments above….” This seeming contradiction is no problem. The expression in Parashat Pekudei , “The inferior firmament of those firmaments that conduct the world,” refers to malchut 7 Asiyah . In Parashat Vayakhel the reference is to the Minor Visage of Asiyah .8 Etz Chaim , Shaar Hashemot , ch. 3, in reference to the Minor Visage of Asiyah , see there.
ה וְהָא דְּמַשְׁמַע לִכְאוֹרָה בְּפָרָשַׁת פְּקוּדֵי, דְּגַם תְּפִלָּה פְּסוּלָה עוֹלָה עַד הֵיכָל הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁמִּמֶּנּוּ נִדְחֵית לְמַטָּה, וְהוּא בִּ״זְעֵיר אַנְפִּין״ דִּבְרִיאָה – לֹא קָשֶׁה מִידֵי: שֶׁהֲרֵי אֲפִילוּ כָּל הָעֲווֹנוֹת מַמָּשׁ, קַלּוֹת וַחֲמוּרוֹת – עוֹלוֹת לְשָׁם אֲפִילוּ עַד הֵיכָל הַד׳, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב דַּף רנ״ב עַמּוּד א׳, אֶלָּא וַדַּאי, שֶׁאֵין מַהוּת הָעֲלִיּוֹת שָׁווֹת, וְאֵין עֲרוֹךְ וְדִמְיוֹן בֵּינֵיהֶם – אֶלָּא בְּשִׁיתּוּף הַשֵּׁם בִּלְבַד, וְדַי לַמֵּבִין.
5 The apparent reference may be drawn from Parashat Pekudei that even invalid prayer ascends to the First Chamber,9 Beriah . This is no difficulty, for even palpable sins, minor and grave, ascend to there, even to the Fourth Chamber, as noted on page 252a. It is certain, therefore, that the ascensions are not identical, and there can be no comparison or similarity between them except for the common name. This will suffice for the knowing.
ו וּבָזֶה יוּבַן גַּם כֵּן מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב שָׁם דַּף רמ״ז, שֶׁבְּהֵיכָל הַב׳ [אולי צריך להיות: אִזְדַּמַּן הַמְמוּנֶּה. ואולי צריך להיות: קַיָּימִין הַלְּבוּשִׁים] מְמוּנֶּה עַל הַלְּבוּשִׁים שֶׁמַּלְבִּישִׁים הַנְּשָׁמָה מִמַּעֲשֵׂה הַמִּצְוֹת, אַף שֶׁהֵן בְּגַן עֵדֶן הַתַּחְתּוֹן דַּעֲשִׂיָּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב שָׁם דַף ר״י.
6 This will also aid us in grasping the passage on page 247 that in the Second Chamber are the garments that clothe the soul as a result of performance of mitzvot , though they are in the Lower Gan Eden 10 Asiyah , as stated there on page 210.
ז וְהִנֵּה, תְּפִלָּה פְּסוּלָה עֲדִיפָא מִתּוֹרָה שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ מַמָּשׁ, שֶׁהִיא תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, וְהַתְּפִלָּה הִיא גּוֹ רָקִיעַ כוּ׳. אֲבָל תּוֹרָה סְתָם, שֶׁאֵינָהּ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ רַק מֵאַהֲבָה מְסוּתֶּרֶת טִבְעִית, לָא גָרְעָא מֵהֶבֶל פִּיהֶן שֶׁל תִּינוֹקֹת־שֶׁל־בֵּית־רַבָּן, דְּסָלִיק לְעֵילָּא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא הֶבֶל שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ חֵטְא, וְסָלִיק לְעֵילָּא, אַף אִם הוּא שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ מַמָּשׁ, מִיִּרְאַת הָרְצוּעָה שֶׁבְּיַד הַסּוֹפֵר, וְעַיֵּין שָׁם דַּף רנ״ה עַמּוּד ב׳, שֶׁהַמַּלְאָכִים הֵם מַעֲלִים הַהֶבֶל שֶׁל תִּינוֹקֹת־שֶׁל־בֵּית־רַבָּן עַד אֲצִילוּת:
7 Invalid prayer is superior to Torah studied with distinctly improper intention, for such Torah attains to a position lower than the sun,11 12 Atzilut .
7 Each of the Divine attributes (kindness, severity, etc.) has its unique nature and functions, and each manifests G–d differently. His bounty, for example, is an expression of the attribute of chesed , kindness. The particular attribute is the source of the bounty, to be sure, but the actual performance of the attribute is through malchut (the seventh of the emotive attributes, lit., “sovereignty”). The manifestation of G–d in terms apprehensible to us, i.e., the physical conduct of the world, is through the malchut of the World of Asiyah , our mundane universe. For more discussion of malchut , see The Tzemach Tzedek and the Haskalah Movement , p. 110, note 3.8 The term “visage,” like other anthropomorphic expressions, is common in Kabbalah and Chasidut. “Major Visage” (arich anpin ) refers to the Divine will, and “Minor Visage” (z’eyr anpin ) to the revealed emotive attributes. Generally, the latter term refers to the first six emotive attributes, while malchut , the last, is considered a class unto itself. The “Visages” are on all planes, in all “Worlds,” correspondingly higher or lower in accordance with the World in question.9 See above, Essay 1, note 14.10 After the death of the body, the soul continues to live as a spiritual entity, quite apart from all corporeality. Its earlier mortal life did affect it profoundly though, whether his life was exemplary or not. If man sinned, G–d forbid, his soul suffers a concomitant defect or contamination and must undergo a process we call punishment or purification or correction. Any discussion of this must be cautious, for our experiences and conceptions are physical. We cannot truly conceive the nature of an abstract disembodied spiritual being, nor have we any inkling into its experience of what we would call pleasure or pain. Thus, we can declare, that the soul cannot remain in this state of imperfection, bearing the stains and scars of evil. When the purification is completed, the soul enters into Gan Eden . Here the soul enjoys the pleasant consequences of its good deeds in its physical life. Unconstricted by body, the soul can now have an awareness, an apprehension, of G–d’s being and propinquity, an experience the Talmud describes as “enjoying the radiance of G–d’s presence.” This consciousness of G–d will vary according to the soul and the life it led. A life of intellect, Torah study, will result in an intellectual appreciation of G–d; a life of fervent worship will establish an emotion-relationship; a life of social endeavor will bring its consonant effects, and so on. Then too the soul’s relationship with G–d is not static, for it progresses in its sensitivity to G–dliness. “They shall go from strength to strength,” says the Psalmist (84:8), and the Talmud declares that the righteous have no “rest” in This or the Coming Worlds. In broad terms we may say that there are numerous, if not an infinite, number of planes, categorized as the Higher and Lower Gan Eden . We have noted the existence of “Worlds” on different levels of spirituality or corporeality, ranging from virtually total unity and immersion in the Infinite to the point of nonexistence, down to our physical universe where the spiritual is subordinate and G–d so concealed that He can be denied. As the presence of G–d is concealed, the independent existence of creatures becomes possible, the ultimate being physical creatures. One step above this mundane World, called Asiyah , is its spiritual counterpart and antecedent, the Lower Gan Eden of Asiyah . The soul ascends to the Lower Gan Eden as “reward” for performance of mitzvot and to the Higher Gan Eden in accordance with its kavanah (intention and dedication).11 The term “under the sun” is found in Ecclesiastes 1:3— “What gain has man of all his striving under the sun.” The Talmud (Shabbat 30b) comments that man’s labors “under the sun” are vanity, for these are worldly strivings, but there is gain in striving “higher than the sun,” meaning study of Torah. In Likkutei Torah , Ekev 13d, Rabbi Schneur Zalman writes, “If one studies Torah for his own glory, wanting to achieve something, to be considered a person of worth, this study is called ‘under the sun,’ where everything is vanity….” This sort of Torah study is the first category in note 3 of this Essay.12 Shabbat 119b.Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org