לימוד יומי

א וְהִיא אִגֶּרֶת הַשְּׁלוּחָה לִכְלָלוּת אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלוֹמֵינוּ, יְבָרְכֵם צוּרֵנוּ וְיִשְׁמְרֵם:

1COMPILER’S FOREWORD¹
Being an Epistle sent to the Communities of our Faithful. May the Almighty guard them.

באֲלֵיכֶם אִישִׁים אֶקְרָא, שִׁמְעוּ אֵלַי רוֹדְפֵי צֶדֶק מְבַקְשֵׁי ה׳, וְיִשְׁמַע אֲלֵיכֶם אֱלֹקִים לְמִגָּדוֹל וְעַד קָטָן, כָּל אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלוֹמֵנוּ דִּמְדִינָתֵינוּ וְסָמוֹכוֹת שֶׁלָּהּ, אִישׁ עַל מְקוֹמוֹ יָבוֹא לְשָׁלוֹם וְחַיִּים עַד הָעוֹלָם נֶצַח סֶלָה וָעֶד, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן:

2To you, O men, do I call. Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek the L–rd; and may G–d hearken to you, both great and small, all the faithful in our land and those adjacent to it. May each in his place achieve peace and eternal life for ever and ever. Amen. May this be His will.

גהִנֵּה מוּדַעַת זֹאת, כִּי מַרְגְּלָא בְּפוּמֵי דְאִינְשֵׁי בְּכָל אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלוֹמֵנוּ לֵאמֹר כִּי אֵינָהּ דּוֹמָה שְׁמִיעַת דִּבְרֵי מוּסָר לִרְאִיָּיה וּקְרִיאָה בַּסְּפָרִים, שֶׁהַקּוֹרֵא, קוֹרֵא לְפִי דַרְכּוֹ וְדַעְתּוֹ וּלְפִי הַשָּׂגַת וּתְפִיסַת שִׂכְלוֹ בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם, וְאִם שִׂכְלוֹ וְדַעְתּוֹ מְבוּלְבָּלִים וּבַחֲשֵׁכָה יִתְהַלָּכוּ בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה׳, בְּקוֹשִׁי יָכוֹל לִרְאוֹת אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב הַגָּנוּז בַּסְּפָרִים, אַף כִּי מָתוֹק הָאוֹר לָעֵינַיִם וּמַרְפֵּא לָנֶפֶשׁ.

3Behold, it is known as a saying current among people—all our faithful—that listening to words of moral advice is not the same as seeing and reading them in books. For the reader reads after his own manner and mind and according to his mental grasp and comprehension at that particular time. Hence, if his intelligence and mind are confused and wander about in darkness in G–d’s service, he finds difficulty in seeing the beneficial light that is concealed in books, even though the light is pleasant to the eyes and [brings] a healing to the soul.

דוּבַר מִן דֵּין, הִנֵּה סִפְרֵי הַיִּרְאָה הַבְּנוּיִים עַל פִּי שֵׂכֶל אֱנוֹשִׁי, בְּוַודַּאי אֵינָן שָׁוִין לְכָל נֶפֶשׁ, כִּי אֵין כָּל הַשְּׂכָלִים וְהַדֵּעוֹת שָׁווֹת, וְאֵין שֵׂכֶל אָדָם זֶה מִתְפָּעֵל וּמִתְעוֹרֵר מִמַּה שֶּׁמִּתְפָּעֵל וּמִתְעוֹרֵר שֵׂכֶל חֲבֵירוֹ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה גַּבֵּי בִּרְכַּת חֲכַם הָרָזִים עַל שִׁשִּׁים רִיבּוֹא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, ״שֶׁאֵין דֵּעוֹתֵיהֶם דּוֹמוֹת זוֹ לָזוֹ״ וְכוּ׳, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב הָרַמְבַּ״ן זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה בְּמִלְחָמוֹת שָׁם בְּפֵירוּשׁ הַסִּפְרֵי גַּבֵּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ ״אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ בּוֹ״, שֶׁיָּכוֹל לַהֲלוֹךְ נֶגֶד רוּחוֹ שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד וְכוּ׳.

4Apart from this, the books on piety, which stem from human intelligence,² certainly have not the same appeal for all people, for not all intellects and minds are alike, and the intellect of one man is not affected and excited by what affects [and excites]³ the intellect of another. Compare with what our Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said⁴ with reference to the blessing of the “Wise One in secrets” (חכם הרזים) upon beholding 600,000 Jews, because their minds are dissimilar from one another, and so on.⁵ As also Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, of blessed memory, [explains the reason for this blessing] in Milchamot, elaborating on the commentary of the Sifrei concerning Joshua, who is described as “a man in whom there is spirit,”⁶ “who can meet the spirit of each and every one,”⁷ and so on.

האֶלָּא אֲפִילוּ בְּסִפְרֵי הַיִּרְאָה אֲשֶׁר יְסוֹדוֹתָם בְּהַרְרֵי קוֹדֶשׁ, מִדְרְשֵׁי חֲכָמֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ ה׳ דִּבֶּר בָּם וּמִלָּתוֹ עַל לְשׁוֹנָם וְאוֹרַיְיתָא וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כּוֹלָּא חַד, וְכָל שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא נְשָׁמוֹת כְּלָלוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּפְרָטֵיהֶם וּפְרָטֵי פְרָטֵיהֶם עַד נִיצוֹץ קַל שֶׁבְּקַלִּים וּפְחוּתֵי הָעֶרֶךְ שֶׁבְּעַמֵּינוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – כּוּלְּהוּ מִתְקַשְּׁרָאן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאוֹרַיְיתָא – הִיא הַמְקַשֶּׁרֶת אוֹתָן לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא כַּנּוֹדָע בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ. הֲרֵי זֶה דֶּרֶךְ כְּלָלוּת לִכְלָלוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל.

5But even the books on piety, whose basis are in the peaks of holiness, the Midrashim of our Sages, of blessed memory, through whom the spirit of G–d speaks and His word is on their tongue; and [although] the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are one and the same, and all the 600,000 general [souls]⁸ of Israel with their individual [offshoots] down to the “spark” in the most worthless and least estimable members of our people, the children of Israel, are thus bound up with the Torah, and the Torah binds them to the Holy One, blessed is He, as is known from the holy Zohar⁹—this [bond] pertains [only] in a general way to the community of Israel as a whole.

ווְאַף שֶׁנִּיתְּנָה הַתּוֹרָה לִידָּרֵשׁ בִּכְלָל וּפְרָט וּפְרָטֵי פְרָטוּת לְכָל נֶפֶשׁ פְּרָטִית מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל הַמּוּשְׁרֶשֶׁת בָּהּ, הֲרֵי אֵין כָּל אָדָם זוֹכֶה לִהְיוֹת מַכִּיר מְקוֹמוֹ הַפְּרָטִי שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה:

6[As for the individual,] although the Torah was given to be interpreted, in general and in particular down to the minutest detail, to [apply to] each individual soul of Israel, which is rooted in it [so that these books pertain to every person], nevertheless not every person is privileged to recognize his individual place in the Torah.

זוְהִנֵּה, אַף בְּהִלְכוֹת אִיסּוּר וְהֶיתֵּר הַנִּגְלוֹת לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ, מָצָאנוּ רָאִינוּ מַחֲלוֹקֶת תַּנָּאִים וְאַמוֹרָאִים מִן הַקָּצֶה אֶל הַקָּצֶה מַמָּשׁ, וְאֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים – לְשׁוֹן רַבִּים – עַל שֵׁם מְקוֹר הַחַיִּים לְנִשְׁמוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנֶּחְלָקוֹת דֶּרֶךְ כְּלָל לִשְׁלֹשָׁה קַוִּין, יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאל וְאֶמְצַע, שֶׁהֵם חֶסֶד וּגְבוּרָה וְכוּ׳, וּנְשָׁמוֹת שֶׁשָּׁרְשָׁן מִמִּדַּת חֶסֶד, הַנְהָגָתָן גַּם כֵּן לְהַטּוֹת כְּלַפֵּי חֶסֶד – לְהָקֵל כוּ׳ כַּנּוֹדָע.

7[A further difficulty is the complexity of Torah interpretation.] Even in the case of the laws governing things prohibited and permitted, which have been revealed to us and to our children,¹⁰ we find and witness differences of opinion among Tanaim and Amoraim from one extreme to the other. Yet “these as well as these are the words of the living G–d.”¹¹ The plural¹² is used as a reference to the source of life for the souls of Israel, which are generally divided into three categories—right, left, and center, namely, kindness (chesed), might (gevurah), and so on,¹³ so that the souls, whose roots originate in the category of kindness, are likewise inclined toward kindness in the leniency of their decisions, and so forth,¹⁴ as is known.

חוְכָל שֶׁכֵּן וְקַל וָחֹמֶר בְּהַנִּסְתָּרוֹת לַה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ דְּאִינוּן דְּחִילוּ וּרְחִימוּ דִּבְמוֹחָא וְלִבָּא דְּכָל חַד וְחַד לְפוּם שִׁיעוּרָא דִילֵיהּ – לְפוּם מַה דִמְשַׁעֵר בְּלִיבֵּיהּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ עַל פָּסוּק ״נוֹדָע בַּשְּׁעָרִים בַּעְלָהּ וְגוֹ׳״:

8All the more, a minori ad maius, in the case of those things which are hidden [yet revealed only] to the L–rd our G–d,¹⁵ these being the awe and love that are in the mind and heart of each and every one according to his capacity, i.e., according to his heart’s estimation,¹⁶ as explained in the holy Zohar¹⁷ on the verse, “Her husband is known in the gates (she’arim)….”¹⁸

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

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