Daf 163a (דַּף קס״ג ע״א)

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): “The trees of Hashem are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which He planted” (Tehillim 104) (יִשְׂבְּעוּ עֲצֵי יְיָ, אַרְזֵי לְבָנוֹן אֲשֶׁר נָטַע). Who is Lebanon? (מַאן לְבָנוֹן). Behold, it is already established and taught (הָא אוּקְמוּהָ וְאִתְּמַר), this verse: “Where the birds nest, the stork has her home in the cypresses” (Tehillim 104) (אֲשֶׁר שָׁם צִפֳּרִים יְקַנֵּנוּ, חֲסִידָה בְּרוֹשִׁים בֵּיתָהּ). Where the birds nest—in which place? In Lebanon (אֲשֶׁר שָׁם צִפֳּרִים יְקַנֵּנוּ: בְּאָן אֲתַר בַלְּבָנוֹן). And these are the two birds spoken of in many places (וְאִלֵּין אִינוּן תְּרֵין צִפֳּרִים דְּקָאָמְרָן בְּכַמָּה אֲתַר), and from these emerge many other birds (וּמֵאִלֵּין אִתְפָּרְשָׁן כַּמָּה צִפֳּרִין אֲחֲרָנִין). But these are supernal, and they emerge from Lebanon, which is (some say: concealed) above (אֲבָל אִלֵּין עִלָּאִין וְנָפְקִין מִלְּבָנוֹן דְּאִיהוּ (נ״א: סְתִימָאָה) לְעֵילָא). And the secret of the matter is (וְרָזָא דִּמִלָּה): “And Lavan had two daughters…” (Bereshit 29) (וּלְלָבָן שְׁתֵּי בָנוֹת וְגוֹ׳). “The stork has her home in the cypresses”—(Some say: this is Leah (חֲסִידָה בְּרוֹשִׁים בֵּיתָהּ (נ״א: דָּא לֵאָה)—in those six supernal sons (בְּאִינוּן שִׁית בְּנִין עִלָּאִין), the six directions of the world (שִׁית סִטְרִין דְּעָלְמָא), as it is taught (כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר). Why is she called ḥasidah? (אַמַּאי אִקְרֵי חֲסִידָה) Because this upper world—even though she is female—is called male (אֶלָּא, הַאי עָלְמָא עִלָּאָה, אַף עַל גַּב דְּנוּקְבָא אִיהִי, קָרִינָן לָהּ דָּכָר), because when she expands, all goodness and all light go forth from her (דְּכַד אִתְפַּשַּׁט, כָּל טִיבוּ וְכָל נְהִירוּ מִנֵּיהּ נָפִיק). And because she is ḥasidah, from her emerges Ḥesed (וּבְגִין כָּךְ דְּאִיהִי חֲסִידָה, נָפִיק מִינָהּ חֶסֶד), which is the primordial light (דְּאִיהוּ נְהוֹרָא קַדְמָאָה), as it is written (Bereshit 1): “And Elohim said, Let there be light…” (וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר). And on account of this: “In the cypresses is her home” (וְעַל דָּא: בְּרוֹשִׁים בֵּיתָהּ). Cypresses—read not b’rōshim (cypresses) but b’rā’shim (in the heads) (בְּרוֹשִׁים: אַל תִּקְרֵי בְּרוֹשִׁים אֶלָּא בְּרָאשִׁים). For the other world is in the lower ones—her home (דְּהָא עָלְמָא אֲחֲרָא, בְּתַתָּאִין בֵּיתָהּ), and she is the house of judgment for the world (וְאִיהִי בֵּי דִּינָא דְּעָלְמָא). And at times she is called by the same expression as above, with all those names (וּלְזִמְנִין אִקְרֵי כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָא, בְּכָל אִינוּן שְׁמָהָן).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): on this very place it is written (Bereshit 6): “And Hashem regretted, and He was saddened in His heart” (וַיִּנָּחֶם יְיָ וַיִּתְעַצֵּב אֶל לִבּוֹ). The wrath of Hashem—this is where it depends (חֲרוֹן אַף יְיָ: דְּהָא בַּאֲתַר דָּא תַּלְיָא), for all that is above is entirely radiance—life to all sides (דְּהָא כָּל מַה דִּלְעֵילָא, כֹּלָּא אִיהוּ בִּנְהִירוּ, חַיִּין לְכָל סִטְרִין). And thus we have learned: There is no sadness before the Presence—specifically before (וְעַל דָּא תָּנִינָן: אֵין עַצְבוּת לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם—לִפְנֵי דַיְיקָא). And therefore it is written (Tehillim 100): “Serve Hashem with joy, come before Him with song” (עִבְדוּ אֶת יְיָ בְּשִׂמְחָה, בֹּאוּ לְפָנָיו בִּרְנָנָה). Serve Hashem with joy—this refers to the upper world (עִבְדוּ אֶת יְיָ בְּשִׂמְחָה: לָקֳבֵיל עַלְמָא עִלָּאָה); come before Him with song—this refers to the lower world (בֹּאוּ לְפָנָיו בִּרְנָנָה: לָקֳבֵיל עַלְמָא תַּתָּאָה). Blessed are Yisrael in this world and in the world to come (זַכָּאִין אִינוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעָלְמָא דֵין וּבְעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי). For this it is written (Devarim 33): “Happy are you, O Yisrael! Who is like you, a people saved by Hashem, the shield of your help and the sword of your glory…” (אַשְׁרֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִי כָמוֹךָ עַם נוֹשַׁע בַּיְיָ, מָגֵן עֶזְרְךָ, וַאֲשֶׁר חֶרֶב גַּאֲוָתֶךָ, וְיִכָּחֲשׁוּ וְגוֹ׳). “And he set the rods which he had peeled in the troughs…” (Bereshit 30) (וַיַּצֵּג אֶת הַמַּקְלוֹת אֲשֶׁר פִּצֵּל בָּרְהָטִים וְגוֹ׳).

Rabbi El‘azar opened and said (פָּתַח רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְאָמַר) (Mishlei 9): “If you have become wise, you have become wise for yourself; and if you have scoffed, you alone shall bear it” (אִם חָכַמְתָּ, חָכַמְתָּ לָךְ; וְלַצְתָּ לְבַדְּךָ תִשָּׂא). If you have become wise, you have become wise for yourself—come and see (אִם חָכַמְתָּ חָכַמְתָּ לָךְ: תָּא חֲזֵי): woe to the guilty ones of the world who do not know and do not attend to the matters of Orayta (וַוֵי לְאִינוּן חַיָּיבֵי עַלְמָא, דְּלָא יָדְעִין וְלָא מַשְׁגִּיחִין בְּמִלֵּי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא). And when they do regard it, since they lack understanding, the matters of Orayta seem in their eyes as if they are all words of emptiness, with no benefit in them (וְכַד אִינוּן מַשְׁגִּיחִין בָּהּ, בְּגִין דְּלֵית לְהוֹן סֻכְלְתָּנוּ, מִלִּין דְאוֹרַיְיתָא דַּמְיָין בְּעֵינַיְיהוּ כְּאִילּוּ כֻּלְּהוּ מָלֵי רֵיקַנְיָא, וְלֵית בְּהוֹן תּוֹעַלְתָּא).

And all this is because they are empty of knowledge and understanding (וְכֹלָּא בְּגִין דְּאִינוּן רֵיקָנִין מִדַּעְתָּא וְסֻכְלְתָנוּ). For all the words of Orayta are supernal and precious words (דְּהָא כָּל מִילֵי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, כֻּלְּהוּ מִלִּין עִלָּאִין וְיַקִּירִין), and every word and word, it is written about it (Proverbs 3): “She is more precious than pearls, and all desires cannot compare to her” — in reference to the Orayta (וְכָל מִלָּה וּמִלָּה, כְּתִיב בָּהּ יְקָרָה הִיא מִפְּנִינִים, וְכָל חֲפָצִים לֹא יִשְׁווּ בָהּ (בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא). And all those fools (וְכָל אִינוּן טִפְּשִׁין), sealed of heart (אֲטִימִין דְּלִבָּא), when they see the words of the Orayta (כַּד חָמָאן מִלֵּי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא), not only do they not understand them (לָא דַי לוֹן דְּלָא יָדְעֵי), but they also say (אֶלָּא דְּאִינוּן אָמְרֵי) that these are flawed words (דְּאִינְהוּ מִלִּין פְּגִימִין), words that have no value (מִלֵּי דְּלֵית בְּהוּ תּוֹעַלְתָּא). Woe to them (וַוֵי לוֹן), when Kudsha Berikh Hu will demand from them (כַּד יִתְבַּע לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא) the disgrace of the Orayta (עֶלְבּוֹנָא דְאוֹרַיְיתָא), and they will be punished (וְיִתְעַנְּשׁוּן) with the punishment of rebels against their Master (עוֹנָשָׁא דְמָרְדֵי בְּמָארֵיהוֹן). What is written in the Orayta? (מַה כְּתִיב בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא): “For it is not an empty word from you” (Devarim 32) (כִּי לֹא דָבָר רֵק הוּא מִכֶּם).

And if it is empty, it is from you that it is empty (וְאִי אִיהוּ רֵיק מִכֶּם אִיהוּ). For the Orayta is entirely filled with all precious stones and radiant pearls, more than all the treasures of the world (דְּהָא אוֹרַיְיתָא כֹּלָּא מַלְיָאָה מִכָּל אֲבָנִין טָבִין וּמַרְגְּלָאן יַקִּירִין, מִכָּל טָבִין דְּעָלְמָא), as it is said: “All things you desire are not equal to her” (Mishlei 3) (וְכָל חֲפָצִים לֹא יִשְׁווּ בָהּ).

And how can they say that she is empty? (וְהֵיךְ יֵימְרוּן דְּאִיהִי רֵיקַנְיָא) And King Shlomo said: “If you have become wise, you have become wise for yourself” (Mishlei 9) (אִם חָכַמְתָּ חָכַמְתָּ לָךְ), for when a person becomes wise in Orayta, the benefit is his alone (דְּכַד יִתְחַכַּם בַּר נָשׁ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, תּוֹעַלְתָּא דִּילֵיהּ אִיהוּ). For in Orayta one cannot add even a single letter (דְּהָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא לָא יָכִיל לְאוֹסָפָא אֲפִילּוּ אוֹת אַחַת). “And if you scoff, you alone shall bear it”—for Orayta loses nothing of its praise (וְלַצְתָּ לְבַדְּךָ תִּשָּׂא: דְּהָא אוֹרַיְיתָא לָא יִגָּרַע מִשִּׁבְחָהָא כְּלוּם), and the scoffing is his own (וְלֵיצָנוּתָא דִּילֵיהּ אִיהוּ), and it will remain upon him, to lose him from this world and from the World to Come (וְאִשְׁתָּאַר בֵּיהּ לְאוֹבָדָא לֵיהּ מֵהַאי עָלְמָא וּמֵעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): when the supernal letters all join together in this level—the end of all supernal holy levels (כַּד אַתְוָון עִלָּאִין מִתְחַבְּרָן כֻּלְּהוּ בְּהַאי דַרְגָּא, סוֹפָא דְּכָל דַּרְגִּין קַדִּישִׁין עִלָּאִין), and it is filled from them (וְאִתְמַלְיָא מִנַּיְיהוּ), and blessed from the upper world (וְאִתְבָּרְכָא מֵעָלְמָא עִלָּאָה). Then this level stands to give drink to all the herds (כְּדֵין הַאי דַרְגָּא קָיְימָא לְאַשְׁקָאָה לְכֻלְּהוּ עֲדָרִין), each one according to what is fitting for it (כָּל חַד וְחַד כְּדְקָא חָזֵי לֵיהּ), and each one is nourished from judgment and mercy (וְכָל חַד וְחַד אִתְשָׁקֵי מִן דִּינָא וְרַחֲמֵי).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): what is written? “And he set the rods which he had peeled in the troughs…” (Bereshit 30) (וַיַּצֵּג אֶת הַמַּקְלוֹת אֲשֶׁר פִּצֵּל בָּרְהָטִים וְגוֹ׳). For Ya'akov sought to establish the prayer of Arvit (דְּיַעֲקֹב בָּעָא לְאַתְקָנָא תְּפִלָּה שֶׁל עַרְבִית), to illuminate the moon (וּלְאַנְהָרָא לְסִיהֲרָא), and to water and bless her from all directions (וּלְאַשְׁקָאָה וּלְבָרְכָא לָהּ מִכָּל סִטְרִין), as it is written: “And he set the rods” (דִּכְתִיב: וַיַּצֵּג אֶת הַמַּקְלוֹת). These are the judgments and powers that go forth from the supernal Gevurah (אִלֵּין דִּינִין וּגְבוּרָן דְּנָפְקֵי מִגְּבוּרָה דִּלְעֵילָא).