Daf 157a (דַּף קנ״ז ע״א)

Rather, Kudsha Berikh Hu made man in this world (אֶלָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עֲבַד לֵיהּ לְבַּר נָשׁ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא), in the likeness of the glory of the supernal glory above (כְּגַוְונָא דִּיְקָרָא דְּכָבוֹד עִלָּאָה לְעֵילָּא).

That supernal Kavod is spirit to spirit, and soul to soul (הַהוּא כָּבוֹד עִלָּאָה, אִיהוּ רוּחַ לְרוּחַ, וְנִשְׁמְתָא לַנְשָׁמָה), until it reaches one place below that is called body (עַד דְּמָטֵי לְחָד אֲתָר לְתַתָּא דְּאִקְרֵי גּוּף). And into this enters one spirit from the source of life, which is called “All” (וּבְהַאי עָיֵיל חַד רוּחַ דִּמְקוֹרָא דְּחַיִּים, דְּאִקְרֵי כֹּל), in this is all goodness, all nourishment, and all sustenance of that body (בְּדָא אִיהוּ כָּל טוּבָא, וְכָל מְזוֹנָא, וְכָל סִפּוּקָא, דְּהַהוּא גּוּף).

And this secret is: “The profit of the earth is in all” (וְרָזָא דָּא, וְיִתְרוֹן אֶרֶץ בַּכֹּל הִיא) (Ecclesiastes 5). Some say: why ‘in all’? (ס״א מַאי בַּכֹּל הִיא). This “All” is the spirit for that body (הַאי כָּל אִיהוּ רוּחַ לְהַהוּא גּוּף). In this likeness, man in this world is body (כְּגַוְונָא דָּא בַּר נָשׁ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, אִיהוּ גּוּף), and the spirit that rules within him is in the likeness of that supernal spirit (וְרוּחַ דְּשַׁלְטָא בֵּיהּ, כְּגַוְונָא דְּהַהוּא רוּחַ עִלָּאָה), some say: which rules over the body that is called “All” (ס״א דְּשַׁלְטָא עַל גּוּפָא דְּאִקְרֵי כֹּל). This is called “All Flesh” (דְּאִקְרֵי כָּל בָּשָׂר). And concerning this it is written: “All flesh shall come to bow before Me, says Hashem” (וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, יָבֹא כָל בָּשָׂר לְהִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת לְפָנַי אָמַר יְיָ) (Isaiah 66). Of that delight it is written: “No eye has seen, O Elohim, besides You, what He has prepared for him that waits for Him” (עַל הַהוּא עִדּוּנָא כְּתִיב, עַיִן לֹא רָאָתָה אֱלֹהִים זוּלָתְךָ יַעֲשֶׂה לִמְחַכֵּה לוֹ) (Isaiah 64).

The Friends rejoiced on the road (חֲדּוּ חַבְרַיָּיא בְּאָרְחָא). When they came within a certain mountain, Rabbi Ḥiyya said to that traveler (כַּד מָטוּ לְגוֹ טוּרָא חַד אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא לְהַהוּא טַיְּיעָא): “What is your name?” (מָה שְׁמֶךָ). He said to him: “Ḥanan” (אָמַר לֵיהּ חָנָן). He said to him: “May Kudsha Berikh Hu show you favor, and hear your voice at the time you need Him” (אֲמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יְחֹנִנְךָ, וְיִשְׁמַע לְקוֹלֶךָ בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּתִצְטְּרִיךְ לֵיהּ). Rabbi Yossi said (אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסִי): “Surely the sun is setting, and beyond this mountain there is a village by your name, called Kefar Ḥanan. We will spend the night there in honor of your name” (וַדַּאי הָא נָטֵי שִׁמְשָׁא, וְהָכִי בָּתַר טוּרָא דָּא, אִית כְּפַר חַד עַל שְׁמָךְ, דְּאִקְרֵי כְּפַר חָנָן, נָבִית תַּמָּן בְּגִין יְקָרָא דִּשְׁמָךְ). When they came there, they entered their lodging place, and a table was set before them with many kinds of food (כַּד מָטוּ לְהָתָם, עָאלוּ לְבֵית אוּשְׁפִּיזַיְיהוּ, וְסִדְרוּ קָמַיְיהוּ פָּתוֹרָא, בְּכַמָּה זִינִין לְמֵיכַל). Rabbi Ḥiyya said (אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא): “Surely this table is in the likeness of the World to Come, and we must elevate this table and crown it with words of Orayta” (וַדַּאי פָּתוֹרָא דָּא, כְּגַוְונָא דְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, וְאִית לָן לְסַלְּקָא הַאי פָּתוֹרָא, וּלְאַעְטְּרָא לֵיהּ בְּמִלִּין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא).

Rabbi Yossi opened and said (פָּתַח רִבִּי יוֹסִי וְאָמַר): “And you shall eat and be satisfied, and bless Hashem your Elohim for the good land which He has given you” (וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבַעְתָּ וּבֵרַכְתָּ אֶת יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ עַל הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָךְ) (Deuteronomy 8). If in the land of Yisrael we bless, from outside the land-whence do we learn? (אִי בְּאַרְעָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מְבָרְכֵינָן, לְבַר מֵאַרְעָא מְנָלָן). For in this manner, it would not be required (דְּהָא בְּגַוְונָא דָּא לָא אִצְטְרִיךְ). Rather, when Kudsha Berikh Hu created the world (אֶלָּא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כַּד בָּרָא עָלְמָא), He divided the earth-settled habitation on one side, and desolation on the other (פָּלִיג אַרְעָא, יִשׁוּבָא אִיהוּ לִסְטַר חַד, וְחַרְבָּא אִיהוּ לִסְטַר אָחֳרָא). He divided the habitation, and balanced the world by a single point (פָּלִיג יִשׁוּבָא, וְאַסְחַר עָלְמָא סַחֲרָנֵיהּ דִּנְקוּדָה חֲדָא).

And what is that? It is the Holy Land (וּמַאן אִיהוּ, דָּא אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא), the Holy Land which is the center of the world (אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא אֶמְצָעִיתָא דְּעָלְמָא). And in the center of the Holy Land is Yerushalayim (וּבְאֶמְצָעִיתָא דְּאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא, אִיהוּ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם). The center of Yerushalayim is the Holy of Holies (אֶמְצָעִיתָא דִּיְרוּשָׁלַיִם אִיהוּ בֵּית קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים). And all goodness and all sustenance of all the inhabited world descends there from above (וְכָל טִיבוּ וְכָל מְזוֹנָא דְּכָל יִשׁוּבָא, תַּמָּן נָחִית מִלְּעֵילָּא). And there is no place in all habitation that is not nourished from there (וְלֵית לְּךָ אֲתָר בְּכָל יִשׁוּבָא דְּלָא אִתְּזַן מִתַּמָּן). He divided desolation (פָּלִיג חַרְבָּא). And no desolation was found powerful in all the world, except that wilderness, whose strength and might Yisrael broke for forty years (וְלָא אִשְׁתְּכַח חַרְבָּא תַּקִּיפָא בְּכָל עָלְמָא, בַּר הַהוּא מִדְבָּר, דְּתַבְרוּ חֵילֵיהּ וְתוּקְפֵּיהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַרְבָּעִין שָׁנָה), as it is said: “Who led you through the great and terrible wilderness” (כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר, הַמּוֹלִיכֲךָ בַּמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא) (Deuteronomy 8).

In that wilderness, the Sitra achra rules (בְּהַהוּא מַדְבְּרָא, שַׁלְטָא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא), and against its will Yisrael went upon it and broke its power for forty years (וּבָעַל כָּרְחֵיהּ אַזְלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עָלֵיהּ, וְתָבְרוּ חֵילֵיהּ אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין). And if Yisrael had been found righteous in those forty years (וְאִי יִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁתַּכְחוּ זַכָּאִין בְּאִינּוּן אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין), that Sitra achra would have been removed from the world (הֲוָה מִתְעַבְּרָא הַהוּא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא מֵעָלְמָא).

But because they angered Kudsha Berikh Hu in all those times (וּמִדְּקָא אַרְגִּיזוּ לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כָּל אִינּוּן זִמְנִין), that Sitra achra was strengthened (אִתְתָּקַּף הַהוּא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא), and they all fell there under its dominion (וְנָפְלוּ כֻּלְּהוּ תַּמָּן תְּחוֹת רְשׁוּתֵיהּ). And if you say, but Moshe, who ascended above all the people of the world, how could he have died there? (וְאִי תֵּימָא, וְהָא מֹשֶׁה דְּסָלִיק עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא, הֵיךְ מִית תַּמָּן). Not so, for Moshe the faithful did not come under its dominion, but on Mount Abarim (לָאו הָכִי, דְּהָא מֹשֶׁה מְהֵימָנָא לָא הֲוָה בִּרְשׁוּתֵיהּ, אֶלָּא בְּהַר הָעֲבָרִים). Mount Abarim? Division, for the supernal rulers above contended over him (מַאי הָעֲבָרִים. פְּלוּגְתָּא. דְּאִתְפְּלָגוּ עָלֵיהּ שַׁלִיטִין עִלָּאִין דִּלְעֵילָּא), but he was not delivered into the hand of any appointed one or other ruler, and so it remained (וְלָא אִתְמְסָר בִּידָא דִּמְמָנָא וְשַׁלִיטָא אָחֳרָא, וְאִשְׁתְּאָר הָכִי), until Moshe the faithful servant came and ruled over it, and was buried there (עַד דְּאָתָא מֹשֶׁה עַבְדָּא מְהֵימָנָא, וְשָׁלִיט עָלֵיהּ, וְאִתְקְבָר תַּמָּן).

And none was engaged in his burial except Kudsha Berikh Hu alone, as it is written: “And He buried him in the valley” (וְלָא אִתְעַסָּק בֵּיהּ בִּקְבוּרָתֵיהּ, בַּר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, דִּכְתִּיב, וַיִקְבֹּר אוֹתוֹ בַגָּיְא) (Deuteronomy 34). “And He buried him”-who? That One of whom it is written in a hidden manner (וַיִקְבֹּר אוֹתוֹ, מַאן. הַהוּא דִּכְתִּיב בֵּיהּ בְּאֹרַח סָתִים), as it is written: “And to Moshe He said” (וְאֶל מֹשֶׁה אָמַר) (Exodus 24), and it is not written who He is (וְלָא כְּתִיב מַאן אִיהוּ). “And He called to Moshe” (וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה) and it is not written who He is (וְלָא כְּתִיב מַאן אִיהוּ). So also here: “And He buried him,” and it is not written who He is (אוּף הָכָא וַיִקְבּוֹר אוֹתוֹ, וְלָא כְּתִיב מַאן אִיהוּ), but surely this place is known to the Friends (אֶלָּא וַדַּאי הַאי אֲתָר יְדִיעָא אִיהוּ לְגַבֵּי חַבְרַיָּיא).

And therefore, no one has dominion over that mountain except Moshe alone (וְעַל דָּא, בְּהַהוּא טוּרָא לָא שַׁלִּיט עָלֵיהּ, בַּר מֹשֶׁה בִּלְחוֹדוֹי), and he was buried there (וְאִיהוּ אִתְקְבַר תַּמָּן). And in order that all later generations of the world may know (וּבְגִין לְמִנְדַּע לְכָל דָּרִין אַחֲרָנִין דְּעָלְמָא), that when the dead of the wilderness arise (דְּאִינּוּן מְתֵי מִדְבָּר יְקוּמוּן), the resting place of their shepherd is among them (הַהוּא רַעְיָא דִּלְהוֹן אַשְׁרֵי לֵיהּ בְּגַּוַּויְיהוּ), so that all may be in the arousal of resurrection for the World-to-Come (לְמֶהֱוֵי כֻּלְּהוּ בְּאִתְעָרוּתָא דְּקִיּוּמָא לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי).