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Ascending Higher and Higher
Translation and commentary by Rabbi Eliezer Shore from Toldot Yaakov Yosef
Bear in mind that in prayer you proceed from chamber
to chamber. When an alien thought comes [to your mind] you are expelled, because
you are judged in every chamber whether you are worthy to enter. [ Zohar II:245b.]  | | " If you are not praying with fervor, start to pray intensely..." | | |
Thus, if you are not praying with fervor, start to
pray intensely. When you pray passionately, consider the nature of the [alien]
thought: if it relates to evil love, such as sensuous lust, bring it to its
[ultimate] source, which is the love of G-d.
An alien thought may be cast into one's mind by Divine
Providence, which of itself means expulsion from the chamber, as he lacked
proper concentration or did not pray with fervor (see the Baal
Shem Tov's teaching in Maggid Devarav Leya'akov, sect. 84, and
Keter Shem Tov, sect. 287). Thus, it should stir you to strengthen yourself,
to pray intensely.
The alien thought may be cast into your mind in
context of "a descent for the sake of an ascent" in order that you sublimate
that thought (see Ibid., sect. 207). This is, though, a hazardous task which
requires a degree of spiritual perfection. Thus you can undertake this task only
when you pray with fervor.
There are only seven types of thought. They correspond
to the "seven days of Creation".
The "seven days of Creation" signify the lower seven
sefirot, i.e., the attributes of chesed, gevura, tiferet,
netzach, hod, yesod and malchut. Just as these attributes
are to be found in the realm of divinity and holiness, so, too, they are to be
found in the realm of impurity and evil. Everything in Creation contains sparks
of the sefirot, either of the sefirot in holiness or of the
sefirot in impurity.
In man, the middot are reflected in
corresponding soul-faculties, in two parallel categories; the seven emotive
attributes of man's divine soul relate strictly to holiness (chesed -
love of G-d, gevura - fear or awe of G-d, and so forth); and the seven
emotive attributes of man's animal soul which relate to his physical reality and
pursuits, thus to the realm of that which is not holy or even evil (i.e.,
chesed - love of material objects or sin, gevura - fear of material
objects, or its consequences like anger, and so forth).
[Note: The numbering of the days of Creation (Genesis
1) is introduced with the phrase "It was evening and it was morning." (Gen.
1:5)]
Each [of these] has an "evening" (in Hebrew, "erev")
and a "morning" (in Hebrew, "boker"). "Erev" is an
expression of mixture (in Hebrew, "ta'aruvot", spelled with
the same root-letters as "erev"), i.e., having an alien thought [mixed
in]; and "boker" is an expression of visitation (in Hebrew, "bikur",
spelled with the same root-letters as "boker"), i.e., visiting G-d.
"'It was evening' refers to the deeds of the wicked;
'it was morning' refers to the deeds of the righteous." ( Bereishit Rabba
3:8)
The [seven types of thought] are then "love of G-d"
and "love of sin"; "fear of G-d" and "bad fear", such as hatred; "[good]
glorification" of glorifying G-d and "bad [glorification]" of
self-glorification; and likewise with endurance/victory (in Hebrew, "nitzu'ach"),
thanksgiving/praise (in Hebrew, "hodayah"), foundations (in
Hebrew, "yesodot") i.e., the sense of bonding. Each of these [seven] is
compounded of ten [aspects]. With every bad thought one gives vitality, Heaven
forbid, to the "seven nations".
Each of the sefirot subdivides into ten levels
of inter-relationships with the other sefirot. Chesed thus
compounds chochma of chesed, bina of chesed, daat of
chesed, chesed of chesed, and so forth; and likewise with all the
others. (Tikunei Zohar 47:84a and 69:116b)
The author does not mention here the attribute of
malchut. It would relate to accepting the sovereignty of G-d on the good
side, and submission to evil or impurity on the bad side.
[Evil thoughts, and sins in general, are not just
failures on the part of man. They have a cosmic effect of strengthening
(infusing vitality into) the seven attributes of the realm of kelipa. The
"seven nations" of the early inhabitants of the Holy Land signify these seven
attributes of the realm of impurity.] | | " ...how much more should I love G-d!" | | |
Midrash Hane'elam (Zohar 1:86b) thus states: [When
G-d created] the world, it was wavering to and fro. The Holy One, blessed is He,
then said that Abraham - i.e., the attribute of love - will come forth into the
world. But there will also be the issue of Ishmael , i.e., [the attribute
of] "bad love." A thought of "bad love", therefore, gives vitality to Ishmael
and the nine [aspects] that go with him. There is also Isaac, i.e., the
attribute of "[good] fear;" and [correspondingly] Esau [the attribute of]
"bad fear," i.e., murder. A thought of "bad fear," therefore, gives vitality to
Esau and the nine [aspects] that go with him, Heaven forbid.
Thus if you happen to think of a "bad love", say to
yourself: "What have I done? I have taken a part of the World of Thought and
brought it to a place of filth!" This will cause you to be subdued and come to
the [level] of dust, thus bringing the thought to the attribute of "ayin"
(Hebrew for "naught", i.e. self-negation). Then you will come to the World of
Love by reminding yourself: "If I love this object, as, for example, a woman,
who is but a 'putrid drop' (Avot 3:1), how much more should I love G-d!" (In
other words, one forsakes the incidental and insignificant and pursues the
primary and essential.)
[The realization of wrong-doing leads to subduing and
negating the ego ("I am as dust and ashes" - Gen. 18:27), the level of "ayin".
In the supernal realm of "ayin", all breaches can be corrected, and all
sparks ascend to holiness (see Maggid Devarav Leya'akov, sect. 98 and
232).] | | " Take heed not to coarsen that delight..." | | |
Likewise, when you hear words of jest which cause you
to be mirthful, think that it is but a part of the World of Love. Also, when you
see or eat something that gives you pleasure, think that it is but a part of the
World of Delight. Thus take heed not to coarsen that delight, and "then you will
find pleasure al (lit.: over) G-d" (Isaiah 58:14), i.e., beyond the level of the name Havayah, as it were. Your whole being, therefore, should be directed to that pleasure in the context of it being part of the World of
Delight. Thus you may sit and eat here, yet be in the World of Delight. The
pleasure that you caused yourself, therefore, will bring delight unto G-d in all
worlds.
Likewise, when you see something of which you are
afraid, i.e. negative gevura, say to yourself: "Why should I be afraid of
this? It is but a human like myself - let alone if it is but an animal or beast!
As the awesome G-d, blessed be He, is vested in that being [enabling it to
exist], how much more should I fear [G-d] Himself!"
[This does not mean that one is to ignore danger, for
it is halachically forbidden to expose oneself to danger and to rely on
miracles (Pesachim 64b; Taanit 20b; Zohar 111b; Maimonides,
Hilchot Rotze'ach Ushmirat Hanefesh 11:4ff.; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh
De'ah 116:5). Thus one must avoid danger and make every effort to escape it.
The Baal Shem Tov deals with sublimation: when something mundane arouses fear in
man, he should utilize that opportunity to consider the ultimate source of fear
and generate within himself the fear of G-d. One is to consider that the present
- unintended - confrontation of danger is by Divine Providence, thus think of
G-d, even while using the divinely endowed gift of intelligence to observe the
Divine precept to save himself.]
The same applies to glorification (related to the
sefira of tiferet).When people praise you, or you sense pride in the
midst of prayer, or people exalt you for your concentrated study, bring yourself
to a sense of awe - i.e., shame - before G-d.
In context of "nitzu'ach" ("victory", related
to the sefira of netzach), overcome that trait or have your
understanding lead you to a sense of "Divine victory". Do the same with the
aspect of "hodaya" ("thankgiving", related to the sefira of hod)
and also with "yesodot" (related to "bonding", connected to the sefira
of yesod) i.e., to be bound up with G-d alone.
Footnotes:
Visitor Comments: 2
Jane Thomson, from N.Z., 11/3/2007
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