Meir ben Ezekiel ibn Gabbai

“ This is because one who was accustomed and habituated to dwell in the place of the illuminating light will desire and aspire to draw from the darkness that is in it to return to the mixed, fading light, the place where his tent was initially pitched.
And behold, the soul comes to the body from the place of love and uniqueness. Therefore, it yearns and strives towards love and uniqueness to maintain its existence in accordance with its faith, as when it was in faith with it. While it loves its beloved, it is still connected to the body. ”

“ But you have distinguished man from the animal from the beginning of creation and recognized him. This was an enormous recognition and a great good that he may stand before you to serve in your name, to delight in You, and to unify You. Immediately after You created him, You commanded him and taught him the path of service and uniqueness to complete the purpose and goal that was created for him, to teach that the service is the purpose of his existence and that it is the repair of the divine honor, which is a higher need, as we have written before. ”

“ And by choosing life, you will express the true desire and thought, and I say, "To love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days." To dwell upon the land, but as a stranger in their eyes, you will be considered a resident and the essence will be seen in your completion of what leads to perfection. ”

“ And here I stand in the color of this offering, to unite it in complete unity, so that each and every one sees from that offering that the power of unity exists in evil, and may it be in the song of all as one song, that in each chamber there is a spirit, and the spirits will be connected in its places, and its branches will be connected to it to form a complete unity, as is appropriate. And here, when everything is united as one, the upper and lower will bless each other, and all the upper and lower entities will be blessed. ”

“ And the Scripture resembles Hashem to a king, the angels to ministers, and human beings to servants. It is written, 'The prince of Greece and the prince of Persia withheld me, and Michael the great prince came to assist him.' And why was he called a prince over Israel, while Israel is more honorable than him? And how can Hashem command the honorable ones in His eyes to guard against those beneath them? For the Scripture states, 'Guard yourselves against them.' And why shame the despised ones? And we know that no one is more honorable than the prophets. ”

“ This is the flawed explanation and the lost understanding that was previously entrenched in the sinful and swift border of the bitter and hurried tree of knowledge. From there, the deniers, the destroyers of religion and truth, drew from it. And after them, the late revered scholar, may his memory be blessed, and those who followed him from our philosophers who turned judgment into mockery. And even worse and more bitter, they seduced the queen to lie with the blind and dark-skinned servant and likewise they did. ”

“ Thus, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai explains that the existence of the worlds is the extension of emanation from the highest holiness that is the heart and will, and without it, existence and its sustenance would be impossible. ”

“ For there is no end or limit to the true unity, and in this way, all the worlds will be balanced and the intention will be fulfilled in their creation. And when one deviates and seeks another knowledge, it brings death upon himself and sees that his eternity and existence are lost. He strives to rectify this as much as possible and leaves behind offspring so that the ultimate goal can be fulfilled through them, and the thread of service and yearning will not be broken. ”

“ When Israel does the will of their heavenly Father, they reign as kings on earth, and that power is before them as a servant, and then all the nations surrender to them, for that was the intention in creation. And behold, they rule above and below. But when they do not do the will of their Father, they fall and become enslaved before that power, and the nations that come from that power dominate them and take the abundance that should have come to them. ”

“ If not for the power of Divinity received from it and not lacking, how would we recognize the source of the perfect manifestation that emanates from an absolute nothingness? For every created being, when lacking something taken from it, becomes diminished and diminished. However, the power of Divinity, whose influence is complete without any lack, can impart perfection without diminishing itself. Therefore, its Divinity emanates from it to manifest its existence and perfection, to have a relationship, value, and resemblance with it. ”

“ This is the time frame in which every form of desire can be fulfilled, as everything is under the heavens. Every change and transformation that occurs is connected to both the good and the sinner, based on how each individual prepared themselves. ”

“ From here we derive that two entities emanated from Him, and the Crown of Love upon the Name of the Sanctuary. These entities stand to watch over all those who dedicate themselves with a unique dedication to their Creator with compassion. They surrender their souls for Him with compassion, ascend and testify above. All those who perform kindness in the world, these are the kindnesses that ascend and adorn the Palace, and they ascend to be adorned with the upper love. ”

“ How fortunate are the people of Israel, for they are more beloved before the Holy One, blessed be He, than the ministering angels. For when the ministering angels wanted to sing before Him, they would first come around the throne of glory carrying mountains of fire and fiery hills. ”

“ To cause good to prevail before the Almighty, one must toil and magnify it. This embodies the concept of true justice, encompassing a profound intention. Thus, engaging in wisdom and knowledge is the cause of all happiness and success. It is worthwhile, as one should not prioritize momentary pursuits over eternal life. For a great result is achieved even when one does not consciously seek it. The sinner, however, fails to recognize this and does not complete it, resulting in the inscription of futility upon him. ”

“ For the intellect that resides in a limited material does not believe that it can have existence in itself unless existence is influenced upon it by Him. And He does not regard all the heavens as pure, for he does not merit their eyes to shine with His light constantly without ceasing, even though a man becomes loathsome and wasted, like water that flows away, it is not enough that he himself cannot acquire the proper perfection for himself, but he is inclined towards evil and injustice. ”

“ For the aspect of uniqueness is equal in all of them, for all are united in the essence of the root. As mentioned in Bava Batra, they are all united at their end from their beginning, for the end of the thing is found in its beginning, and there is no end without a beginning, and no beginning without an end, for the beginning and the end are equal in its existence and unity, for there is nothing other than that, as our sages said: "The beginning of thought is the end of the deed." ”

“ Now Solomon, in his wisdom, carefully studied this matter that we intend to delve into in this introduction, and he said, "For to the person who is pleasing before Him, He has given wisdom, knowledge, and joy," meaning that the person who is the essence of creation, the ultimate intended thought, has been given wisdom, knowledge, and joy. The purpose of the person is to manifest the good and completeness that are included within it when being present before the Lord, in the treasure of His glory. And after he emerges from the womb, he is abundantly nourished by it. ”

“ To rest the matter, one could question anyone who believes that everything exists solely for this ultimate purpose - that is, the existence of humans. They may ask, "If the Creator can create humans without the rest of existence, or if it is only possible to create humans because of other matters, what is the benefit of all these other things, if they are not the ultimate purpose?" And even if everything exists to serve the ultimate purpose of humans serving God, the question still remains: What is the purpose of serving Him, if He will not add or subtract anything in return? ”

“ And because we've been ordered in the Holy Torah to love one's fellow - and more than the love wherewith someone loves someone who is good to him - just as a person loves his very self - so behold he that makes effort and pursues the purpose for which he was created, and seeks the True Chakham who is the vessel by which to know His Creator and serve Him, to know Him, having chosen the True Good, to life True Life - behold this is the person that loves his soul, for he makes effort to complete and perfect it unto daylight, in the Light of Life with the face of the King, Hashem of Hosts. ”

“ The proof is that wisdom and knowledge are themselves the source of joy and security when one stands true to them. And that joy and security, which can only be obtained through the work that aligns with the intended thought, allows for the great and glorious Divine name to be united with the person. This is the true love, the true unity, as will be explained in this book, with God's help. ”

“ She is the handmaid who inherits her mistress's greatness, the wisdom of Solomon. She is the kernel of wisdom, her glory the daughter of the king within, and true wisdom flows and emanates from her to those who sit before the Almighty. ”

“ Everything that I have endowed in him in a person is to constitute him as a spectrum of elevated honor, perfecting and blessing for the lower honor. Understand that this elevated honor within him has three aspects, as it is written: "He forms light, creates darkness, makes peace." He who forms light, it is creation; He who creates darkness, it is formation; He who makes peace, it is action. Indeed, it is the elevated honor that blesses and provides for all the needs of the lower honor. ”

“ And you, my lord the king, are equal to the angel and even greater than him because you encompass two ways to discern good and evil, and you have the possibility of change. Despite that, you are eternal and unchanging.' This is an amazing level that greatly resembles the relationship of the formed to its creator, and it is fitting that they participate and be united. ”

“ The intention of these two lights is the great light and the small light, which represent the measure of day and the measure of night. It is known that the small light serves as a throne for the great light, and they represent white and blue, and it is stated that they change to these colors. And through the path of faith, we know that divinity does not change, as the prophet Malachi says: "I am the Lord, I do not change." And behold, that light which changes, there is no change in it on its own part, but it is from the wood or the wick which the burning action acts upon. ”

“ I argue that an individual born of woman who believes he has attained great wisdom is considered small in the eyes of the Lord, devoid of any true understanding, knowledge, or wisdom. Who can restrain himself from responding to his words? Especially those who fear the Lord and contemplate His name, who bear the burden of refuting such foreign opinions, so as not to appear wise in his eyes. This famous scholar, though he did not involve himself with the making of idols, cursed those in power by criticizing the authority's enforcement of the just and upright laws of the Torah. ”

“ Behold, the Torah is the remedy for the soul and the body, and it ensures their well-being and coexistence as long as the body follows and elevates itself after the soul, without opposing it. Then, both the body and the soul will continue to exist, for the Torah is the elixir of life and sustenance for both, ensuring their perpetual life. ”