Daf 152b (דַּף קנ״ב ע״ב)

Woe to those guilty ones (וַוי לְאִינּוּן חַיָּיבַיָּא), who say that the Orayta is only a story of the world (דְּאָמְרֵי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא לָאו אִיהִי אֶלָּא סִפּוּרָא בְּעָלְמָא), and they look at that garment and no more (וְאִינּוּן מִסְתַּכְּלֵי בִּלְבוּשָׁא דָּא וְלָא יַתִּיר). Blessed are the Righteous who look into the Orayta as is proper (זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא דְּמִסְתַּכְּלֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא כַּדְּקָא יֵאוּת). Wine is not kept except in a vessel (חַמְרָא לָא יָתִיב אֶלָּא בְּקַנְקָן). So too the Orayta is not kept except in this garment (כַּךְ אוֹרַיְיתָא לָא יְתִיב אֶלָּא בִּלְבוּשָׁא דָּא). And because of this it is not necessary to look except at what is beneath the garment (וְעַל דָּא לָא בָּעֵי לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא אֶלָּא בְּמָה דְּאִית תְּחוֹת לְבוּשָׁא). And because of this, all these words and all these stories are garments (וְעַל דָּא כָּל אִינּוּן מִלִּין וְכָל אִינּוּן סִפּוּרִין לְבוּשִׁין אִינּוּן). “And the children of Yisrael shall perform the Pesach in its appointed time. What is ‘and they shall perform’” (וְיַעֲשׂוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַפָּסַח בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ מַאי וְיַעֲשׂוּ) (Numbers 9)?p1-11

Rabbi Yose said (אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי), behold it has been said (הָא אִתְּמַר): whoever performs the act below as is proper, it is as if he has done it above (כָּל מַאן דְּאַחְזֵי עוֹבָדָא לְתַתָּא כַּדְּקָא יֵאוּת כְּאִילּוּ עָבִיד לֵיהּ לְעֵילָּא). For because of him, that word is aroused, as it were, as if he himself had done it (דְּהָא בְּגִינֵיהּ אִתְּעַר הַהוּא מִלָּה כִּבְיָכוֹל כְּאִילּוּ הוּא עָבִיד לֵיהּ). And behold it has been said (וְהָא אִתְּמַר). “A man, a man, when he shall be unclean…” (אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי יִהְיֶה טָמֵא וְגוֹ') (Numbers 9). A man, a man twice-why (אִישׁ אִישׁ תְּרֵי זִמְנֵי, אֲמַאי)? Rather, a man who is truly a man, and is fit to receive the supernal Neshama, but he blemishes himself (אֶלָּא אִישׁ דְּהוּא אִישׁ וְיִתְחֲזֵי לְקַבְּלָא נִשְׁמְתָא עִלָּאָה וְהוּא פָּגִים גַּרְמֵיהּ). Upon him the Shekhinta does not rest - some say: the service, some say: the supernal soul (דְּלָא שַׁרְיָיא עֲלוֹי שְׁכִינְתָּא נ״א: שִׁירוּתָא נ״א: נִשְׁמְתָּא עִלָּאָה). What is the reason (מַאי טַעְמָא)? Because he causes it, and he defiles himself (בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ גָּרִים וְהוּא מְסָאֵב לֵיהּ לְגַרְמֵיהּ). And because of this it is written a man, a man (וְעַל דָּא אִישׁ אִישׁ): a man who is seen to be a man, but he defiles himself so that supernal holiness does not rest upon him (אִישׁ דְּיִתְחֲזֵי לְמֶהֱוִי אִישׁ וְהוּא מְסָאֵב גַּרְמֵיהּ דְּלָא יִשְׁרֵי עֲלוֹי קְדוּשָּׁה דִּלְעֵילָּא). “Or on a distant road” (אוֹ בְדֶרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה) (Numbers 9): this is one of the ten nekudot in the Orayta, and all come to show a matter (דָּא אִיהוּ חַד מֵעַשְׂרָה דְּאִינּוּן נְקוּדִים בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וְכֻלְּהוּ אַתְיָין לְאַחֲזָאָה מִלָּה). What is on a distant road (מַאי בְדֶרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה)? Because a man who defiles himself, they defile him above (בְּגִין דְּבַר נָשׁ דְּאִיהוּ מַסְאִיב גַּרְמֵיהּ מְסָאֲבִין לֵיהּ לְעֵילָּא). Since they defile him above, behold he is on a distant road (כֵּיוָן דִּמְסָאַבִין לֵיהּ לְעֵילָּא הָא אִיהוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה). From that place and path in which the seed of Yisrael are bound, behold he is on a distant road, held afar (some say: from being brought near) from approaching you and from being bound with you, as you are bound (מֵהַהוּא אֲתָר וְאָרְחָא דְּזַרְעָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אֲחִידָן בֵּיהּ הָא בְּדֶרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה אָחִיד דְּאִתְרְחַק נ״א: מִלְמִקְרַב לְמִקְרַב לְכוֹן וּלְאִתְקַשְּׁרָא בְּכוֹן כְּמָה דְּאַתּוּן מִתְקַשְּׁרִין).

Rabbi Yitzchak said (אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק), behold it is written: “When a man shall be unclean by reason of a soul, or on a distant road” (וְהָא כְּתִיב כִּי יִהְיֶה טָמֵא לָנֶפֶשׁ אוֹ בְדֶרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה) (Numbers 9), here appear two words (דְּאִתְחֲזֵי תְּרֵין מִלִּין). It implies what is written, or (מַשְׁמַע דִּכְתִיב אוֹ).

Rabbi Yose said (אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי): here, before they defile him (כָּאן עַד לָא מְסָאֲבִין לֵיהּ). Here, after they defile him (כָּאן בָּתַר דִּמְסָאַבִין לֵיהּ). And it implies that whether this or that, supernal holiness does not rest upon him, and they do not perform the Pesach at the time Yisrael perform it (וּמַשְׁמַע אֲפִילּוּ הַאי אוֹ הַאי לָא יִשְׁרֵי עֲלוֹי קְדוּשָּׁה דִּלְעֵילָּא וְלָא יַעַבְדוּן פִּסְחָא בְּזִמְנָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל עָבְדִין לֵיהּ). And if you should say, behold in the second month he performs it if he does not rectify himself (וְאִי תֵּימָא הָא בְּיַרְחָא תִּנְיָינָא עָבִיד אִי לָא מְתַקֵּן גַּרְמֵיהּ). No, but rather when he purifies and rectifies himself, then in the second month he performs the Pesach (לָא אֶלָּא כֵּיוָן דְּמִתַדְּכֵי וּמְתַקֵּן גַּרְמֵיהּ הָא יַרְחָא תִּנְיָינָא לְמֶעְבַּד פִּסְחָא). From here we learn: every man who purifies himself, they purify him (מִכָּאן כָּל בַּר נָשׁ דִּמְדָּכֵי גַּרְמֵיהּ מְדָכָּאן לֵיהּ). For if you should say that in a higher degree he stands in the second month (דְּאִי תֵּימָא דִּבְדַּרְגָּא עִלָּאָה יַתִיר קָאִים בְּיַרְחָא תִּנְיָינָא). Not so (לָאו הָכִי). For Yisrael, the holy seed, who performed the Pesach in its time, took for it the moon and the sun together as one (דְּהָא יִשְׂרָאֵל זַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא דְּעָבְדוּ פִּסְחָא בְּזִמְנֵיהּ נַטְלוּ לֵיהּ לְסִיהֲרָא וּלְשִׁמְשָׁא כְּחָד). And whoever takes the foundation first, takes the building (וּמַאן דְּנָטִיל יְסוֹדָא בְּקַדְמִיתָא נָטִיל בִּנְיָינָא). What is the foundation (מַאי יְסוֹדָא)? Do not say the supernal Yesod, the Tzaddik of the world (לָא תֵּימָא יְסוֹדָא עִלָּאָה דְּצַדִּיקָא דְּעָלְמָא), but the foundation of the precious stone (אֶלָּא יְסוֹדָא דְּאֶבֶן טָבָא), as it is said: “The stone which the builders despised has become the head of the corner” (כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר: אֶבֶן מָאֲסוּ הַבּוֹנִים הָיְתָה לְרֹאשׁ פִּנָה) (Psalms 118). And this is the stone upon which whoever rests, rests (וְהַאי הוּא אֶבֶן דְּשָׁארִי עָלֵיהּ מַאן דְּשָׁארֵי).