Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, compiled by Rabbi Moshe Cordovero

“ He said, “I have heard the Creator and I am awed by His name.” I have heard of what I had and have had a taste of the other world at the moment of death, before Elisha resurrected him, and I am awed. He began asking for mercy for his soul. He said, “O, Creator, the deeds that You have performed for me throughout the years were my life.” And whoever connects to the past years (the name of the Sefirot of Atik) , connects to life. Throughout the years, bestow life upon the degree that has no life of its own, upon Malchut de Malchut. ”

“ Rabbi Shimon opened and said: “Let Rabbi Chiya enter and see how much the Creator renews the faces of the righteous in the world to come. Happy is he who comes here without shame. Happy is he who stands in the other world as a rigid pillar opposite all.” And Rabbi Chiya saw himself entering, and Rabbi Elazar and all the other pillars of the world that were there stood up before Rabbi Chiya. ”

“ And even if man is shown that what is predestined for him cannot be cancelled, it is nonetheless completely cancelled and annulled, then disappears at once and does not prevail over him in this world. Hence, man should study the Torah day and night, and never abandon it, as it is written: “Contemplate Him day and night.” Whomever abandons the Torah, it is as though he abandons the Tree of Life.
Come and see – such is the advice given to man. When he goes to bed at night, he must accept the Creator’s governance from Above, and wholeheartedly entrust his soul with Him. ”

“ For when man is asleep, his soul leaves him. And as soon as his soul departs from him, the impure spirit replaces it at once, and it fills his hands and defiles them, and it is forbidden to utter a blessing without washing one’s hands. ”

“ That is, liberation is deliverance from all suffering. And it is therefore fitting to create the world with me. The Creator answered her: “Though you are fine, the word begins with you and is secretly denoted by you, like a serpent that strikes and hides its head in its body. So a sinner bows his head, hiding from others’ eyes, but stretches out his hands to sin. So is the shape of the letter Peh, whose head is hidden inside it.” And the Creator also said to the letter Ayin that it would be unfitting to create the world with its properties, for within it is the property of Avon. ”

“ Your Deeds are the Supernal Garden of Eden, which the Creator has created by His act. All the righteous stand in the lower Garden of Eden, clothed in precious adornments, similar in quality and form to those which they wore in this world, meaning in the same form as people in this world and according to man’s actions in this world. ”

“ The sages of the nations of the world are the forces that rule them from Above, and all the wisdom of the nations of the world comes from these rulers. “In all their Kingdoms” means that the Creator’s will rules over them.
Yet, among all the sages of the nations of the world and in all their kingdoms, I have found in the ancient books that even though the Heavenly hosts and legions fully obeyed their given orders and each would receive precise instructions to be carried out, but who among them can do it if not You, who will do it better than You? ”

“ And should you object that when man is awake and his soul does not leave him, the impure force does not descend upon him, then, if he enters a washroom, he is forbidden from reading even a single word of the Torah until he washes his hands. And if you say that it is because his hands are soiled, this is not true, for how are they soiled? But woe unto those who do not beware and do not guard the Creator’s honor and do not know the foundation of this world. ”

“ Fear of the Creator is the beginning of wisdom, for this fear is called “the beginning.” And it is the gate that leads to faith. And the whole world is based on this Mitzva. There are three types of fear, two of which have no real basis, but one does. If man fears that his children may die, or fears illness or bodily suffering, or fears for his material well-being, this kind of fear (even if constant) is not the basis or root, for only desirable consequences constitute the cause of fear. ”

“ The Creator replied to him: “David is righteous, and his holy covenant remains pure, for it is known to Me that Bat Sheva was destined for him since the creation of the world.”
8b Domeh said to Him: “Master of the World, what is revealed to You is concealed from him.” The Creator answered: “Whatever David did was done with My permission. For no man goes to war without first giving his wife a get.” ”

“ For by the praises, hymns, and mercy that the moon offers the sun, the moon draws the sun closer so as to be with it.
7a Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba fell down on their faces before him and could not see him anymore, then rose and went in every direction, but could not see him. They sat and wept, and could not even speak to one another. Then, Rabbi Aba said, “It is true what we have learned, that the Torah accompanies the righteous on all their paths. The righteous of the other world come to them to reveal to them the secrets of the Torah. ”

“ Together with those souls that enter the living creature, WHICH IS MALCHUT, many birds, CORRESPONDING TO ANGELS, come forth. They fly around and roam the entire world, so that when a soul comes forth and is on its way down to this world, the bird that flew off and left with that soul from the same tree accompanies it! How many ANGELS leave together with each soul? ”

“ This is the ‘cup of benediction.’ The cup of benediction must rest on five fingers, and no more, just as the rose rests on five rigid leaves that represent the five fingers. This rose is the cup of benediction. ”

“ And in case you might say that this living soul, which includes Yisrael, is assigned to everyone, He repeats, "after their kind". O how many corridors and chambers, one inside the other, does the earth which is living have under its wings! ”

“ And there is a person who fears the Holy One, blessed be He, because he is afraid of the punishment that awaits him in the other world, and the tortures of Gehenom. These two KINDS OF FEAR, NAMELY THE FEAR OF PUNISHMENT A PERSON RECEIVES IN THIS WORLD AND THE FEAR OF THE PUNISHMENT IN THE WORLD TO COME, are not the essence of fear nor its genuine source!
The fear that is essential and genuine occurs when a person fears his Master because he is almighty and governs all; because He is the main source and essence of all worlds. And everything that exists is as nothing compared to Him. ”

“ Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba dismounted from their donkeys and kissed him. They said, “So great is your wisdom, and yet you drive donkeys behind us! Who are you, then?” He replied to them: “Do not ask me who I am, but let us go on and study the Torah. Each of us will speak his wisdom so as to illuminate our path.” He said to him: “Who appointed you to walk here and be a donkey driver?” He replied: “The letter Yod waged war with two letters, Chaf and Samech, for me to come and join. ”

“ Shabbat and a holy day are mentioned separately. The donkey driver asked: “If that is so, then what does a holy day mean to the Creator?” He replied: “That is when sanctity descends from Above, from ZA, and fills Shabbat, Malchut.” The donkey driver objected, “But if sanctity descends from Above, then Shabbat itself is not a holy day. And yet, it is written, ‘You shall sanctify Shabbat,’ meaning Shabbat itself.”
Rabbi Elazar said to Rabbi Aba, “Leave this man alone, for there is much wisdom in him, of which we do not know.” So he said to the donkey driver, “Speak, and we shall listen.” ”

“ When a rainbow is seen in the world. It is when the rainbow is seen that they are revealed. As the time of pruning has come. The time has come to eradicate the wicked from the world. Why were the wicked saved? Because the flower buds can be seen in the earth. And if they could not be seen, they would not have remained in the world, and the world would not be able to exist.
Who animates the world and causes the Fathers to appear? It is the voice of the children, who study the Torah, meaning that these children of the world save the world. ”

“ Rabbi Hamnuna-Saba then said as follows: “Do not let your mouth cause your body to sin,” i.e., one must not allow his mouth to get close to evil and be the cause of sin for the sacred flesh, which bears the mark of the holy covenant with the Creator. If he does so, he shall be dragged to hell. And the ruler of hell, called Domeh, stands at the gates of hell with hundreds of thousands of angels, but he is forbidden to approach those who have kept the holy covenant in this world.... ”

“ THESE ARE THE FOUR FORMS OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. From here onward, come the rest of the precepts of the Torah. The second precept:Loving the Creator. As defined by the Zohar, genuine love for the Creator is unconditional. It is not dependent on what we receive or don't receive in return. Reading the verses associated with these ideas kindles our awe and love for the Creator.
The second precept is that the precept of fear is strongly attached to and never disconnected from the precept of love. A person should love his Master wholly. And what is perfect love? ”

“ For until that time, it is still Shabbat, and the sanctity of the Shabbat still rests upon us. So after the benediction over the cup is performed, all those hosts and legions that govern the weekdays return to their positions, each one according to the appointed service for which he is responsible.
Because as soon as the Shabbat begins and the day is sanctified, holiness is aroused and governs the world; worldliness is removed from its rule. Only when Shabbat is over do they regain their position again. ”

“ When the Torah was passed to Moshe, tens of thousands of Supernal angels appeared so as to raise him with the flames of their mouths, but the Creator protected him. So now, when the renewal in the Torah ascends and appears before the Creator, He protects it and shelters the one who performed it, so as to prevent the angels from finding out and envying him, until new Heaven and earth are made out of this renewal in the Torah. ”

“ So the words “a word is worth a gold coin” mean that I spoke and came to regret it. Silence, my silence, is worth twice as much, for the two worlds, Bina and Malchut, were created by this silence. For had I not kept silent, I would not have attained the unity of both worlds.”
Rabbi Shimon said, “From here on the perfection of the written is said to bring forth their host by number.” For these are two degrees, and each must be recorded, that is, noted: one is called MA and the other MI. MI is the Upper One, and MA is the lower one. ”