The Essence

The Commandments' Mystic Roots

Parashat Kedoshim in the writings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria
- translated from Ta'amei HaMitzvot and Sefer HaLikutim by Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky

"Do not turn to idols, and do not make for yourselves molten gods; I am G‑d." (Lev. 19:4)

Know, that when someone looks and gazes at someone else, it has an effect [on the person looking], for the soul itself goes out via the faculty of sight to look.

Although we are accustomed to think of sight as the eye's reaction to light waves that enter it, we are here bidden to conceive of sight as an outward projection of the soul, through the individual's eyes, to "grasp" the image of the object being looked at.

If the object being looked at is good, [its goodness] will cling [to the soul], and it will have a good effect on the one who sees it.

If you look at impure things, you will be adversely affected…

If, on the other hand, it is evil, [the one who sees it] will also take [some of its evil] and this will adversely affect his soul. This is the [mystical] meaning of this verse: "do not turn to idols" - lest "you make yourselves" into "molten gods"; if you look at impure things, you will be adversely affected and become like what you look at.

Similarly, it is [praiseworthy] to look at good things, as it is written: "And they gazed after Moses." [The people looked after him] because they could not gaze at his face, since he had spoken with G-d face to face. They were, however, able to look at him from behind and benefit from so doing. This is similar to what we are told about Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, who said that all that he learned from his teacher, Rabbi Meir, was because he looked at him from behind, and that he would have learned even more had he looked at him face to face. (Eruvin 13b)

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi ("the Prince") was the spiritual leader of the Jewish people in the 2^nd century who performed the monumental task of recording the Oral Torah in writing (as the Mishna). When he was studying under his teacher, Rabbi Meir, he sat in the rows of pupils behind him, rather than the rows facing him.

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"Do not steal…." (Lev. 19:11) "…Do not rob…." (Ibid. 19:13)

Know, that our sages said that "he who steals the slightest amount from his friend is as if he stole his soul."[1] (Bava Kama 119a) The mystical significance of stealing and robbing is as follows:

Stealing [causes a blemish] in the upper third of tiferet of Zeir Anpin, for it is there that the states of chesed become revealed, as is known.

As we have explained previously, the yesod of Ima envelops Zeir Anpin as far down as the upper third of its tiferet. From that point downward, the states of chesed that make of Zeir Anpin become revealed. Stealing is done clandestinely, so it causes a blemish in the upper, concealed third of tiferet, while robbing, which is done out in the open, causes a blemish in the lower, revealed two thirds of tiferet.

The inner dimension of tiferet is…the ability of the soul to feel for another person…

Chesed is the raw material out of which all the emotions are built; it is thus the basic ingredient of all of Zeir Anpin.

The inner dimension of tiferet is "mercy" or "empathy" (rachamim) - the ability of the soul to feel for another person. Stealing (or robbing) is obviously the direct antithesis of this: in order to steal, an individual must forget about the other person's feelings. Stealing and robbing thus blemish the power of tiferet above.

This is the mystical significance of the double restitution, for the thief causes a blemish above, in the concealed levels, while the robber causes a blemish in the revealed levels.

Unless he admits his crime on his own, someone who steals from his fellow must restore twice the amount he stole; in this way he suffers the loss he intended to inflict on his victim. (Mishna Torah, Geneiva 1:4)

When one steals "down below" [in this world], he causes the forces of evil to steal "up above" [in the spiritual worlds] the souls emerging from the supernal female, malchut [i.e., the partzuf of Nukva of Zeir Anpin]. She acquired these souls by virtue of her coupling [with Zeir Anpin].

The union of Zeir Anpin and Nukva of a specific world produces souls possessing the state of consciousness of that world. This coupling is part of the process the soul undergoes as it descends from its divine origin into a physical body.

The forces of evil are empowered by the theft below…

On the way, it must first descend through the various worlds to be "processed" and thus acquire the successively dimmer states of consciousness of those worlds. This process continues until it has descended in consciousness to the level of this physical world.

This supernal "kidnapping" or "crib-robbing" means that the forces of evil are empowered by the theft below to claim a certain portion of the souls being born into this world as their own. These souls will be born with less empathy or mercy than they would have otherwise. This means that the task of infusing the world with divine consciousness and goodness will be slowed down or even suffer a setback.

As is known, coupling is known as [carnal] "knowledge," as it is written, "And Adam knew his wife, Eve." (Gen. 4:1) We are also taught that feminine knowledge is "lightweight". Therefore, the [thief must make] double restitution, for the numerical value of the word for "double" [kefel] is the same as that of the word for "lightweight" [kal, 130].

"Women have 'lightweight' knowledge." (Kidushin 80b) This generally means that although women possess daat, their daat is initially less objective than is men's.

Relative subjectivity is necessary for women to fulfill their task…

This relative subjectivity is necessary for women to fulfill their task of manifesting divinity in the world; men's relative objectivity renders them unfit for this task.

In any case, by robbing Nukva of her offspring, the forces of evil are attacking her use of her "lightness" of knowledge.

Kefel: kaf-pei-lamed = 20 + 80 + 30 = 180; Kal: kuf-lamed = 100 + 30 = 130.

We will now see another reason for the double restitution.

Furthermore, when someone steals "down below," he also causes the forces of evil to steal "up above" the souls ascending as "feminine water" to malchut; this further causes the descent of the [seminal] drop of "male water" from the male [partzuf, i.e., Zeir Anpin].

"Male water" and "feminine water" (the imagery of rain and evaporation - or perhaps even that of geysers) are the Zoharic terms for "arousal from above" and "arousal from below", respectively. This upward surge from below elicits a corresponding downward response from above, and causes a further revelation of Divine beneficence and goodness in the world.

When a person steals, however, the forces of evil are empowered to steal this upward surge for themselves, preventing the concomitant, downward "male" response from occurring.

[He thus causes] a double blemish, for which he must therefore make double restitution.

Now, as we said, when someone steals "down below," he causes a blemish "up above" by causing the forces of evil to steal souls in the way we have described. This is the mystical meaning of our sages' statement that "[he who steals the slightest amount from his friend] is as if he stole his soul." They made a point of saying "he stole his soul" rather than some other expression [in order to include the mystical interpretation just cited]. May G-d save us [from this sin].

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"The wages of a hired worker shall not abide with you [through the night] until morning." (Lev. 19:13)

In another verse [that details this commandment], it is written, "You shall give [him] his wages on the day he [earns them]." (Deut. 24:15) The initials of these words [beyomo titein secharo] spell Shabbat. This is because whenever a person performs any commandment or learns a lot of Torah on a weekday, he accrues an additional level of Shabbat holiness - even on the weekday. This applies to the [full] extent individuals are capable of accruing additional measures of Shabbat holiness.

Performing mitzvot increases the individual's divine consciousness…

Learning Torah and performing mitzvot increases the individual's divine consciousness. Since Shabbat is the day of higher, divine, consciousness, we may understand the additional measure of divine consciousness attained by learning Torah and doing mitzvot as a "piece of Shabbat" that is added the individual. This happens, of course, even in the case of divine service performed on weekdays.

This fits with what Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught, namely, that Torah scholars possess on weekdays the [level of] soul that ignoramuses possess on the Shabbat.

Thus, the reward that G-d grants Torah scholars for their studies, or to those who observe the commandments, is likened to that of a worker who expects his wages. This is because such people earn their [spiritual] delights daily - even on weekdays - when they accrue additional measures of Shabbat holiness. Therefore, the initials of these words allude to the Shabbat.

On Shabbat, every Jew's consciousness ascends a spiritual notch…

Furthermore, the wages mentioned in this verse can be understood, as well, to refer to the reward one earns each day [for his study and/or observance of the Torah]. These combine with the other [reward], the additional measure of Shabbat holiness that comes automatically with the Shabbat, as is known.

On Shabbat, every Jew's consciousness ascends a spiritual notch, no matter what.

Thus, these two additional measures [of divine consciousness] are given to the person on Shabbat. In this sense, [both types of] "wages" paid to this type of "worker" are paid on the Shabbat. The Shabbat is therefore alluded to in this verse, and this is the mystical meaning of "he who toils on the day[s] before the Shabbat will eat on the Shabbat." (Avoda Zara 3a)

The physical sense of this statement is simply that if one prepares his meals and other needs before Shabbat, he will be able to enjoy them on Shabbat; if not, he will have nothing to enjoy because the preparations he should have done beforehand are forbidden to do on Shabbat.

One cannot expect to live…like an animal during the week and suddenly turn into an angel on Shabbat…

The spiritual sense of the statement is that the extent of one's spiritual experience or level of consciousness on Shabbat is proportional to the amount of spiritual preparation for Shabbat one engages in during the preceding week. In more prosaic terms: one cannot expect to live (think, eat) like an animal during the week and suddenly turn into an angel on Shabbat; if a person doesn't want to be left out of the action on Shabbat, he'd better put some time into refining himself while he still can - during the week. True, as we said above, every Jew's spiritual consciousness ascends automatically on Shabbat, but without the prior weekday preparation, he cannot "cash in" or "tune in to" this consciousness, since he has done nothing to prepare a vessel to receive it.

Additionally, [this verse implies] that specifically someone who fulfills the commandment of paying a worker [on time] acquires the ability to attain an additional level of soul the following Shabbat. This reward is given to him measure for measure, for with regard to paying a worker [on time] it is said, "for…he lifts up his soul to you." (Deut. 24:15) Therefore, in recompense [for granting him his soul, so to speak], the employer is likewise given an extra level of soul with which to sustain his [weekday] soul [on the Shabbat]. And therefore, the Shabbat is alluded to in the initials of this verse.

The idiomatic meaning of "he lifts up his soul" is "he looks expectantly" or "he directs his desire."

Rabbi Chaim Vital now gives us an anecdotal illustration of the extent to which the Arizal took his own teachings seriously.

My teacher [the Arizal] was extremely careful regarding the commandment of paying a worker [on time]. He sometimes put off praying Mincha until he had paid [his worker]. This sometimes meant waiting to pray until sunset if he did not have the cash on hand to pay the wages. And he would send people all over to ask others for money until he had enough to pay the wages. Only then would he pray Mincha, saying, "How can I pray to G-d when such a great mitzva comes my way? Can I put it off and still face G-d in prayer?"