Chapter 35

Core Point – Merging Within God

Now we can understand in greater detail the word “To Do” (that the Mitzvahs are very easy to do…) 

In addition let us understand at least somewhat, what is the purpose of the creation (life) of the Benoini, and why their soul must come to the world and place itself in an animal soul from the Kelipah of Sitra-Achara seeing that it is impossible to get rid of it throughout one’s life. It won’t be possible to dislodge it from her location in the left side of the heart and prevent her thoughts or lusts from entering one’s mind – for the essence of the animal soul of the Kelipah is as strong, as it was when the person was born. 

It is only that her garments do not take over the body, as mentioned earlier…. and if this is the case, why would their soul come down to this world to work so hard to fight against the Yetzer Hara, and yet not be able to conquer it?

May this be their comfort, a double comfort… and add a joy in their hearts to rejoice in God who dwells within them in their Torah study and prayer, by prefacing the words of the prophetic child in the Zohar (Parshas Balak) who spoke on the verse, “The wise man’s eyes are in his head.”

Queries the child, “where else is the eyes of the person etc…?” rather the verse is teaching us that a person should not walk six feet without a Yarmulkah, as the Shechina, the Divine presence rests on their head.

So a wise person understands that their mind’s eye should be upon the Shechina which hovers on their head.

And everybody who is wise realizes, that this Shechina light, like a candle, can only burn as a continuous flame if there is oil to fuel its fire. 

In other words, the body of man is like a wick and the light is kindled above it.

And King Solomon is telling us: “Ensure that you have oil for your flame, fueling it with good deeds.”

And this is the meaning “The eyes of a wise man are in his head.” (Until here are the words of the child.)

Now the explanation of this example comparing the light of the Shechina to the light of a candle (which only stays lit if there is oil to feed the wick) so similarly the Shechina-light rests on the body of a person when one does good-deeds.

It is insufficient for the Divine soul which is a part of G-d to act as the oil drawing the Shechinah to the body. The reason for this is, because the soul of man, even a completely righteous person / Tzaddik who serves God from a fear and love of delight – nonetheless this person is not completely one with God, to become literally the Divine light. For in fact, the soul is a separate entity who loves and fears God.

In contrast a person who does a Mitzvah and good-deeds, as this is the will of God, and God and His will are one – and as it is His will (desire) which is the source of all the existence creating all the universes and creations (and His desire descends from infinity to create matter from non-matter, and entities that see themselves independent of their source (and hence can exist without being subsumed by the identity of their source) as such, they are separate entities) whereas the Commandments / the Mitzvos are the desire of G-d, which is His essential will and has no concealment at all!

The energy in them is not separate to God, rather it is one with Him and His will.

Now the idea of the dwelling of the Shechina is the revelation of Godliness and His infinite light in something.  In other words, to say that this thing is now part of the light of God and is subsumed within Him – for then the light of G-d dwells within this person. But whatever is not totally subsumed within God’s light, the light of G-d does not dwell and get revealed within them.

Even a completely righteous person that connects with a great love to God, nonetheless, there is no thought that can grasp God at all – for the truth of God is that there is literally no other entity besides God.

 And as such the person who is an independent identity and not subsumed… his thought cannot actually grasp God in any way shape or form – therefore God dwells within Him only by the means of fulfilling the Mitzvos, which is the will of God and His wisdom (without any concealments.)

This is as I heard from my Master the explanation of what was written in Eitz Chayim why the light of the Infinite G-d only dwells in the world of Atzilus as it first goes through the cloak of Chochmah – because the Infinite light is the only real truth and existence and it is only the level of Chochmah that perceives this (which is why it then becomes the medium for the infinite light to descend into lower realms.)

Now when a person studies Torah, then his soul which is His Godly soul with its two inner garments,  his thoughts and speech, go into the light of God’s unity. 

This is the dwelling of the Shechina on His Divine soul, as it says that “even one person that studies Torah, the Shechina is with Him.”

However in order to draw down the light and the revelation of the Shechina on his body and animal soul which is in his body, a person needs to use the agency of the body and do the physical Mitzvah.

Then the energy of the body becomes consumed and subsumed within the light of G-d and His will with a complete unity.

This is the third garment of the Godly soul (action) and then also the power of the life giving animal-soul from Kelipah transforms from evil to good, and becomes literally holiness like his Godly soul, as it is the one that is doing the Mitzvah (for without the animal soul, the Godly soul cannot be effective in the body at all. The Godly soul is spirit while the body is matter. And the medium that connects them is the animal soul which is in the blood in his heart and throughout his whole body.)

And though the essence of the animal soul in his heart – which is it’s negative emotions – has not been converted into holiness, nonetheless as they are forced to do the will of holiness and they say Amen… and they agree and accede to do a Mitzvah through the force of the Godly soul in the mind which controls the heart (and as such, the negative emotions are considered asleep at that time) therefore they do not prevent the Shechina from entering the body at this moment.

In other words, the power of the animal soul which is in the act of doing the Mitzvah becomes subsumed in the light of God, and in a complete unity with it.

And through this the general life giving soul within the body becomes subsumed in the Shechina, and also a ray shines over the entire physical body from  head to foot. And this is why it says, that the “Shechina dwells on the head” – and “whenever you have 10 people the Shechina is there.”

Now every time there is the revelation of the Shechina light this does not cause a change in God, and nor an addition, as stated in Sanhedrin that an antagonist said to Rabban Gamliel, “You say that whenever you have 10 people the Shechina dwells… well how many Shechinas do you have…?” and he answered him with an example of the light of the Sun that can go into many windows, and the wise shall understand.