Meir ben Ezekiel ibn Gabbai

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "Not because you heard many voices should you think there are many gods in heaven, but know that I am the Lord your God, as it says, 'I am the Lord your God.' The intention is that the multiplicity retained in the name Elohim is not in the essence of God but according to the values, to the old, the young, and the small, as if one were to say that His essence is utterly simple, and the multiplicity of the sefirot is in the aspect of actions. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ And I have already written in the book 'Tola'at Yaakov' that there are ten fingers in the hand of a person corresponding to the higher wisdoms, as the hands with their fingers are the instruments of action to serve the soul with them. ”

“ 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. ”

“ There is one who fears and guards himself against transgressing the commandments, for he knows that one who transgresses them defiles the Supreme Sanctuary, introduces a blemish into the holy chamber, cuts down the beautiful branches, and separates the champion of the world. For this purpose, he guards his hands from doing any evil. This, however, does not exempt him from the awe of the curses and punishments. Rather, he is a person who fears, and his fear is of a high level, as explained in the manner we have written. ”

“ King David, peace be upon him, spoke of it with the Holy Spirit, saying, "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever." He declared that, since the Torah, which bears the name of the Lord, emanates from the source of fear and is an internal manifestation of the secret wisdom of God, it is pure. The sages of truth have said that it is pure, clear, and free from all impurities of external thoughts and opinions that emerge from the side of understanding and emanate from it. ”

“ It teaches that God, blessed be He, exists eternally in one aspect, until he is consistently righteous. It is always possible to say, "He is one," meaning that after the world was created, he did not depart from the same essence with the multitude of beings. Rather, he was always in that unity, and who can turn him back? To reveal his infinite power, and his ability to create all beings according to his simple will. It is stated that God desired to perfect those beings that he created to reach a praiseworthy goal, which is beyond the scope of their own existence. ”

“ Come and see that the awakening to kindle the blue light and adhere to the white light is not achieved except by the Israelites, who cleave to it below. Come and see, even though the nature of this blue light is to sever everything that clings to it below, the Israelites cleave to it below and exist in its existence, for their souls come from it and not from another place. ”

“ The intention of their statement in the Ten Utterances, corresponding to the ten sefirot, which are included in the first three, namely wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, and in the existence of these, they are all included. For kindness and eternity are branches of wisdom, might and beauty and sovereignty are branches of understanding, and glory and foundation are branches of knowledge. And wisdom includes everything, for from it they emerge and in it they all depend. ”

“ Know and contemplate on the day, which is the sun, that operates with the simplicity of its essence in changing things, yet it is one with them. Set your heart at ease, consider it, and accept it as correct. ”

“ However, the pious Rabbi Yonah explained that this Mishnah is referring to the aspect of striving for knowledge. The idea is that one should strive to understand wisdom in order to know how to safeguard oneself from sin. When a person makes an effort to know wisdom for the purpose of safeguarding themselves and becoming wise, it becomes a reality in their hands, and they find themselves abstaining from transgressions. But if one learns without the intention to understand and apply it, merely for the sake of acquiring knowledge, it will not become a reality in their hands. ”

“ There are times when I am called by the name El Shaddai, by the name Tzevaot, by the name Elohim, and by the name Hashem. When I judge the creatures, I am called Elohim, and when I wage war against the wicked, I am called Tzevaot. When I suspend judgment on man's sins, I am called El Shaddai, and when I have compassion on My world, I am called Hashem, for Hashem is a term that signifies mercy, as it is said, 'Hashem, Hashem, El Rachum v'Chanun (compassionate and gracious) , Echad (One) .' Be it known that I will be what I will be. ”

“ It stands as a testimony that this internal awe will not fall or be lacking at any time because it is not dependent on any external factor. Therefore, it will never be lacking, as the cause of this internal awe is the desire of the one who fears to cleave to the sublime wisdom with a humble and awe-inspired heart. When he assesses the greatness of its level within his soul, he is very afraid that perhaps he will not be brought close to it, and it will not accept him in the palace of the King to be among His ministers and those who see His face. ”

“ So too, Bar Nash, the forgotten son, whose body is good, and all its signs are good in measure, and its soul is a living serpent, liable to produce sweetness. Bar Nash forgets his own body, which is bitter, and all its signs are bitter, but its soul produces sweetness. This is because Bar Nash is righteous, and it is bad for him. However, one whose inside is good and whose outside is bad, that one is wicked, and it is good for him. He will not have a portion in the world to come. ”

“ And if you say that it did not have intention in its creation, then creation would be by chance, and anything that comes by chance has no order. But we see that the created beings have an order. They exist based on an order, they are renewed based on an order, and they are nullified based on an order. This order in which they exist and are nullified is called a sphere, which is the power for every existence that is defined by a number. Since the existence of the created beings is through the spheres, they change and there are degrees of high, low, and intermediate. ”

“ Rather, I will share My great name with them, and they will live.' What is the reason? 'And the Canaanite and all the inhabitants of the land will surround us and cut off our name.' What will you do with Your great name that is shared with us up to this point? Israel is the key that is entrusted to them to open the treasury of the king or close it as they wish. It all depends on their actions. If they incline towards the good side, uphold the Torah and commandments, they open the fountain, continue the flow of light and abundance to all worlds, and the causes will be blessed. ”

“ They know that completeness prevails and rules over what is complete, not over defects and deficiencies. Therefore, they constantly strive to perfect their soul and body so that they may become a throne of glory upon which the perfect name will reign.
Behold, a person of this kind becomes a complete chariot to the Divine glory. Then, the glory descends from the upper realms and comes to rest upon and rule over them in the lower realms. This is similar to what our Sages said, "The Patriarchs themselves are the chariot," because the Patriarchs lived the true lives that we emulate. ”