"And he set the rods [hinting to supernal secrets] ..." Rabbi Elazar began by saying: "If you are wise, you are wise for yourself and if you scorn, you alone shall bear it". (Proverbs 9:12) Come and see! Woe to the wicked of the world who do not know or pay attention to the words of the Torah! And if they do, as they have no intelligence, the words of the Torah seem empty and useless to them. This is because they themselves are empty of knowledge and intelligence. But all the words of the Torah are high and precious, each of its words is dearer than pearls, "and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it". (Proverbs 8:11)

When all those stubbornly proud fools see the words of the Torah, they fail to understand and say that its words are of no value. Woe to them, at the time when G‑d will exact from them the shame of the Torah and they will be punished for rebelling against their Master!

It is written in the Torah: "For it is not an empty thing for you", (Deut. 32:47) for the whole Torah is full of precious stones and pearls and all the goodness in the world. This is as it is written: "and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." How can they say the Torah is empty?

King Solomon said: "If you are wise, you are wise for yourself." When a man is wise in understanding the Torah, he benefits from that wisdom. That is because he can not add even one letter. It is further written: "and if you scorn, you alone shall bear it," because the value of the Torah shall not be diminished one wit, and his joking is his alone. He dwells in it, and it causes him to perish from this world and the world to come.

BeRahamim LeHayyim: Why did the Ari and Chida choose this passage? What are we to learn?

"She is a Tree of Life for those who hold fast to Her!" Though we may think we can 'build a better tree' in this world of grafting and creating of new fruits, we simply cannot For unlike a car, or an appliance, the tree is a complete creation, a demonstration of G‑d's flow through nature. So too, with the Holy Torah, our Tree of Life.

We don't have to understand this Tree completely to be able to benefit from it, just like we don't have to understand the science of fruit development to enjoy an apple. But to deride the words of the Holy Torah is to cut oneself off from the high spiritual benefit that is bestowed upon it. May we merit to constantly add new jewels to the necklace we make, a sign of the wisdom we retain from visiting, reflecting on, and yes, hugging the Tree of Life.

What does the above mean to you, and why has it been revealed to you now?

Bracketed annotations from Metok Midevash and Sulam commentaries
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