Daf 99b (דַּף צ״ט ע״ב)

Rabbi Abba opened and said (רַבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח וְאָמַר): “Who shall ascend the mountain of Hashem, and who shall stand in His holy place?” [Psalms 24] (מִי יַעֲלֶה בְּהַר יְיָ, וּמִי יָקוּם בִּמְקוֹם קָדְשׁוֹ).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): All the people of the world do not see upon what the world stands (כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא לָא חָמָאן עַל מָה קָיְימֵי בְּעָלְמָא), and days go and ascend and stand before Kudsha Berikh Hu (וְיוֹמִין אָזְלִין וְסָלְקִין וְקָיְימֵי קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא)-all those days that humans dwell in, in this world (כָּל אִנּוּן יוֹמִין דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא קָיְימֵי בְּהוּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא). For they were all created (דְּהָא כֻּלְּהוּ אִתְבְּרִיאוּ), and all stand above (וְכֻּלְּהוּ קָיְימֵי לְעֵילָא). And from where do we know they were created? (וּמְנָלָן דְּאִתְבְּרִיאוּ) As it is written: “Days were formed…” (דִּכְתִּיב יָמִים יוּצָּרוּ) (Psalms 139).

And when the days arrive for a person to depart from this world (וְכַד מָטָאן יוֹמִין לְאִסְתַּלָּקָא מֵהַאי עָלְמָא), all come near before the Supernal King (כֻּלְּהוּ קְרֵיבִין קַמֵּי מַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה)-this is what is written: (I Kings 2) “And the days of David drew near to die” (הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב: וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי דָּוִד לָמוּת), and likewise (Bereshit 47): “And the days of Yisrael drew near to die” (וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת). Because when a person is in this world (בְּגִין דְּכַד בַּר נָשׁ אִיהוּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא), he does not consider nor reflect upon what he stands within (לָא אַשְׁגַּח וְלָא אִסְתַּכַּל עַל מַה קָאֵים), and each and every day he considers it as if it goes in vain (אֶלָּא כָּל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא חָשִׁיב כְּאִלּוּ הוּא אָזִיל בְּרֵיקַנְיָא). For when the Neshama departs from this world (דְּהָא כַּד נִשְׁמְתָּא נָפְקַת מֵהַאי עָלְמָא), she does not know to where her path ascends (לָא יָדְעַת לְאָן אוֹרְחָא סָלְקִין לָהּ). For the path to ascend upward-to the place of the light where the supernal souls radiate (דְּהָא אוֹרְחָא לְסַלְקָא לְעֵילָא לְאַתַּר דְּנְהִירוּ דְּנִשְׁמְתִין עִלָּאִין נָהֲרִין)-is not granted to all souls (לָא אִתְיְהִיב לְכֻלְּהוֹן נִשְׁמְתִין). For just as he drew upon himself in this world (דְּהָא כְּגַוְונָא דְּאִיהוּ אַמְשִׁיךְ עֲלֵיהּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא), so is he drawn afterward when he departs from it (הָכִי אִתְמַשְׁכַּת לְבָתַר דְּנָפִיק מִנֵּיהּ).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): If a person is drawn after Kudsha Berikh Hu (אִי בַּר נָשׁ אִתְמְשִׁיךְ בָּתַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא), and his desire was after Him in this world (וְתִּיאוּבְתָּא דִּילֵיהּ אֲבַתְרֵיהּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא), then afterward, when he departs from it (לְבָתַר כַּד נָפִיק מִנֵּיהּ), he is drawn after Him (אִיהוּ אִתְמְשִׁיךְ אֲבַתְרֵיהּ), and they give him a path to ascend above (וְיָהֲבִין לֵיהּ אוֹרַח לְאִסְתַּלָּקָא לְעֵילָא), following that very drawing he drew through his desire each day in this world (בָּתַר הַהוּא מְשִׁיכוּ דְּאִתְמְשִׁיךְ בִּרְעוּתָא כָּל יוֹמָא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא).

Rabbi Abba said (אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא): One day I sojourned in a certain town of those from the Ancient Ones (יוֹמָא חַד אִעַרְעָנָא בְּחַד מָתָא מֵאִנּוּן דְּהֲווּ מִן בְּנֵי קֶדֶם), and they said to me from that wisdom which they knew from early days (וְאָמְרוּ לִי מֵהַהִיא חָכְמְתָּא דְּהֲווּ יָדְעִין מִיּוֹמֵי קַדְמָאֵי), and they had books of their wisdom (וְהֲווּ אַשְׁכְּחָן סִפְרִין דְּחָכְמְתָּא דִּלְהוֹן), and they brought me one book (וּקְרִיבוּ לִי חַד סִפְרָא). And it was written in it (וְהֲוָה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ): That just as the desire of a person is directed in this world (דְּהָא כְּגַוְונָא דִּרְעוּתָא דְּבַר נָשׁ אִיכַוֵּון בֵּיהּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא), so a Spirit from above is drawn upon him (הָכִי אַמְשִׁיךְ עֲלֵיהּ רוּחַ מִלְּעֵילָא), in accordance with that desire with which he was bonded (כְּגַוְונָא דְּהַהוּא רְעוּתָא דְּאִתְדָּבַּק בֵּיהּ). If his desire was directed toward a supernal, holy matter (אִי רְעוּתֵיהּ אִיכַוִּין בְּמִלָּה עִלָּאָה קַדִּישָׁא), then he draws upon himself that matter from above to below (אִיהוּ אַמְשִׁיךְ עֲלֵיהּ לְהַהִיא מִלָּה מִלְּעֵילָא לְתַתָּא לְגַבֵּיהּ). And if his desire is to cleave to the Sitra achra, and he directs his intent there (וְאִי רְעוּתֵיהּ לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא בְּסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא וְאִיכַוֵּין בֵּיהּ), he draws that matter upon himself from above to below (אִיהוּ אַמְשִׁיךְ לְהַהִיא מִלָּה מִלְּעֵילָא לְתַתָּא לְגַבֵּיהּ). And they said (וְהֲווּ אָמְרִי): The essence of the matter depends on words and deeds and desire to cleave (דְּעִקָּרָא דְּמִלְּתָא תַּלְיָיא בְּמִלִּין וּבְעוֹבָדָא וּבִרְעוּתָא לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא), and through this is drawn from above to below that Side to which one has cleaved (וּבְדָא אִתְמְשַׁךְ מִלְּעֵילָא לְתַתָּא הַהוּא סִטְרָא דְּאִתְדָּבַּק בָּהּ).