Daf 100b (דַּף ק׳ ע״ב)

I said to them (אֲמִינָא לוֹן): My sons, this is close to the words of Orayta (בָּנַי קְרִיבָא דָא לְמִלִּין דְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא), but you must distance yourselves (אֲבָל אִית לְכוּ אִתְרַחֲקָא) from those books (מִגּוֹ אִנּוּן סִפְרִין), because your hearts are not steady (בְּגִין דְּלָא יִסְטֵי לִבַּיְיכוּ) for these rituals and all those sides that are mentioned here (לְאִלֵּין פּוּלְחָנִין וּלְכָל אִנּוּן סִטְרִין דְּקָאֲמַר הָכָא), lest, Heaven forbid, you stray from the worship of Kudsha Berikh Hu (דִּילְמָא חַס וְשָׁלוֹם תִּסְטוּן מִבָּתַר פּוּלְחָנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא). For all these books mislead people (דְּהָא כָּל סְפָרִים אִלֵּין אַטְעַיָּין לוֹן לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא), because the Ancients were wise (בְּגִין דִּבְנֵי קֶדֶם חַכִּימִין הֲווּ), and this residue of wisdom they inherited from Avraham (וִירוּתָא דְּחָכְמְתָא דָא יָרְתוּ מֵאַבְרָהָם), who gave gifts to the sons of the concubines (דְּיָהַב לִבְנֵי פִּילַגְשִׁים), as it is written: (Bereshit 25) “And to the sons of the concubines that Avraham had, Avraham gave gifts and sent them away from his son Yitzchak while he was still alive, eastward, to the land of the east” (דִּכְתִּיב: וְלִבְנֵי הַפִּילַגְשִׁים אֲשֶׁר לְאַבְרָהָם נָתַן אַבְרָהָם מַתָּנוֹת וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם מֵעַל יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ בְּעוֹדֶנּוּ חַי קֵדְמָה אֶל אֶרֶץ קֶדֶם). And afterward they continued in that wisdom through many Sides (וּלְבָתַר אִתְמַשְּׁכוּ בְּהַהִיא חָכְמָה לְכַמָּה סִטְרִין). But the seed of Yitzchak, the portion of Ya'akov-not so (אֲבָל זַרְעָא דְּיִצְחָק חוּלָקָא דְּיַעֲקֹב לָאו הָכִי), as it is written: (Bereshit 25) “And Avraham gave all that he had to Yitzchak” (דִּכְתִּיב: וַיִּתֵּן אַבְרָהָם אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ לְיִצְחָק)-this is the holy portion of faith (דָּא חוּלָקָא קַדִּישָׁא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא), in which Avraham cleaved (דְּאִתְדַּבַּק בֵּיהּ אַבְרָהָם), and from that residue and from that Side, Ya'akov emerged (וְנָפַק מֵהַהוּא עַדְבָּא וּמֵהַהוּא סִטְרָא). Ya'akov-what is written about him? (Bereshit 28) “And behold, Hashem stood above him” (יַעֲקֹב מַה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ: וְהִנֵּה יְיָ נִצָּב עָלָיו), and it is written: (Isaiah 41) “And you, Ya'akov, My servant…” (וּכְתִיב: וְאַתָּה יַעֲקֹב עַבְדִּי וְגו׳). Because of this, it is proper for a person to be drawn after Kudsha Berikh Hu (בְּגִינֵי כָךְ בָּעֵי לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְאִתְמַשְּׁכָא בָּתַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא), and to cleave to Him constantly, as it is written: (Deuteronomy 10) “And to Him you shall cleave” (וּלְאִתְדַּבְּקָא בֵּיהּ תָּדִיר, דִּכְתִּיב: וּבוֹ תִדְבָּק).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): (Psalms 24) “Who shall ascend the mountain of Hashem…” (מִי יַעֲלֶה בְּהַר יְיָ וְגו׳). And afterward it returns and explains: “He who has clean hands” (וּלְבָתַר אַהֲדַר וּפֵירַשׁ: נְקִי כַּפַּיִם)-one who has not performed with his hands actions of theft (דְּלָא עֲבִיד בִּידוֹי טוּפְסָא), nor clung to that which he had no need for (וְלָא אִתְתַּקַּף בְּהוּ בְּמָה דְּלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ). And further: one who did not defile himself in them (וְתוּ דְּלָא אִסְתָּאַב בְּהוּ), nor contaminate himself physically as those who defile their bodies with their hands to become defiled (וְלָא סָאִיב בְּהוּ לְגוּפָא, כְּאִנּוּן דְּמְסָאֲבִין גַּרְמַיְיהוּ בְּיָדִין לְאִסְתָּאֲבָא)-this is clean of hands (וְדָא הוּא נְקִי כַּפַּיִם). And pure of heart (וּבַר לֵבָב)-in the sense that he did not draw his desire and his heart to the Sitra achra (כְּגַוְונָא דָּא: דְּלָא אַמְשִׁיךְ רְעוּתֵיהּ וְלִבֵּיהּ לְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא), but rather was drawn after the worship of Kudsha Berikh Hu (אֶלָּא לְאִתְמַשְּׁכָא בָּתַר פּוּלְחָנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא).

“Who has not lifted his soul to vanity” (אֲשֶׁר לֹא נָשָׂא לַשָּׁוְא נַפְשׁוֹ). It is written “his soul”-read instead “my soul” (נַפְשׁוֹ כְּתִיב, נַפְשִׁי קְרִי), and this has already been established “my soul”-this refers to the Nefesh of David, the Side of faith (וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ: נַפְשִׁי דָּא נֶפֶשׁ דָּוִד, סִטְרָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא). “His soul”-this refers to the actual Nefesh of the human being (נַפְשׁוֹ דָּא נֶפֶשׁ דְּבַר נָשׁ מַמָּשׁ), because when he departs from this world (בְּגִין דְּכַד יִפּוּק מֵהַאי עָלְמָא), his Nefesh ascends through meritorious deeds (וְנַפְשֵׁיהּ יִסְתַּלַּק בְּעוֹבָדִין דְּכָשְׁרִין), by which it is sustained to walk among all the holy ones (עַל מַה דְּיִתְקַיֵּים בְּהוּ לְמֵיהַךְ בֵּין כָּל אִנּוּן קַדִּישִׁין), as it is said: (Psalms 116) “I will walk before Hashem in the lands of the living” (כְּמָא דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר: אֶתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי יְיָ בְּאַרְצוֹת הַחַיִּים). And because “he did not lift his soul to vanity”, he shall receive blessing from Hashem (וּבְגִין דְּלֹא נָשָׂא לַשָּׁוְא נַפְשִׁי-יִשָּׂא בְּרָכָה מֵאֵת יְיָ וְגו׳).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): After Avraham was circumcised, he was sitting in pain (בָּתַר דְּאִתְגְּזַר אַבְרָהָם, הֲוָה יָתִיב וְכָאִיב), and Kudsha Berikh Hu sent to him three Angels in revealed form (וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא שָׁדַר לְגַבֵּיהּ תְּלַת מַלְאָכִין בְּאִתְגַּלְּיָא), to bring peace to him beforehand (לְאַקְדָּמָא לֵיהּ שְׁלָם). And if you say: But it was in revealed form!-yet who is able to see angels? (וְאִי תֵּימָא דְּהָא בְּאִתְגַּלְּיָא-וְכִי מַאן יָכִיל לְמֶחֱמֵי מַלְאָכִין)-for it is written: (Psalms 104) “He makes His angels spirits…” (וְהָא כְּתִיב: עֹשֶׂה מַלְאָכָיו רוּחוֹת וְגו׳). Rather, certainly he saw them (אֶלָּא וַדַּאי חָמָא לוֹן), as they descended to earth in the likeness of human beings (דְּנַחֲתֵי לְאַרְעָא כְּגַוְונָא דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא). And do not let this be difficult for you (וְלָא יִקְשֶׁה לָךְ הַאי), for certainly they are holy spirits (דְּהָא וַדַּאי אִנּוּן רוּחִין קַדִּישִׁין), and at the time when they descend into the world (וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּנַחֲתֵי לְעָלְמָא), they are enclothed in the atmospheres and elemental forms of bodies (מִתְלַבְּשִׁין בַּאֲוִירֵי וּבִיסוֹדֵי דְּגוּלְמִין), and are seen by human beings precisely as the vision of their [human] image (וְאִתְחֲזוּ לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא מַמָּשׁ כְּחֵיזוּ דִּיוּקְנָא דִּלְהוֹן). And come and see (וְתָּא חֲזֵי): Avraham saw them in the form of human beings (אַבְרָהָם חָמָא לוֹן כְּחֵיזוּ בְּנֵי נָשָׁא). And even though he was in pain from the circumcision (וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּהֲוָה כָּאִיב מִמִּילָה), he went out and ran toward them (נָפַק וְרָהַט אֲבַּתְרַיְיהוּ), so as not to fall short of what he used to do previously (בְּגִין דְּלָא לְמִגְרַע מַה דְּהֲוָה עֲבִיד מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָא).