Monthly Archives: October 2015

From Atzilut downwards everything follows the present world’s governing order in the course of which things cycle until they achieve perfect benevolence. But from Attik upward everything is as it will be in eternity.

Attik is the central byway between one system of governance to another. And Adam Kadmon is comprised of the whole of existence and of all times.

מאצילות ולמטה הולך הכל לפי ענין ההנהגה של העוה”ז, שבה סובבים הדברים עד שמגיעים אל שלמות ההטבה. אך מעתיק ולמעלה – הכל הוא לפי מה שיהיה בנצחיות.

ועתיק הוא המעביר באמצע מהנהגה להנהגה. א”ק – כללות כל המציאות לכל הזמנים:

(c) 2015 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org

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AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here at a discount.

You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here at a discount as well.

Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).

Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence” and “Ramchal”.

We now begin Section 17, entitled “The Connection between Atzilut and Adam Kadmon through Attik and Erich Anpin“, which is comprised of Petachim 96-100.

Here’s Petach 96:

התלבשות עתיק יומין בא”א הוא להחזיק אותו בכל ספירותיו לפי ענין המתקלא המושרש ברדל”א. ובזה הוא עומד תחת הנהגת א”ק מצד היסוד ומלכות שלו. כי כך נקבעו תחתיהם מ”ה וב”ן. והוא עיקר ההנהגה ההולכת להשלים השלמות.

Attik Yomin was engarbed in Erich Anpin in order to strengthen all of Erich’s Sephirot by means of the “balance” that’s rooted in The Unfathomable Beginning.

In this respect Erich Anpin is governed by Adam Kadmon through its Yesod and Malchut. For this is the way that MaH and BaN were established under them. In fact, this  particular combination of MaH and BaN is the essential order of governance to bring about complete perfection.

(c) 2015 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org

———————————————–

AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here at a discount.

You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here at a discount as well.

Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).

Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence” and “Ramchal”.

Though we haven’t exactly finished exploring the gist of Erich Anpin, we’ll add these fascinating remarks about it  that Ramchal offers in Klallei Milchamat Moshe (7).

He speaks there of an order of governance whose role is to allow for the preservation of the universe. Why would it need that? “It would be impossible for the universe to continue on as it is based on the actions of the lower entities”, i.e., based on humankind’s actions, given what we are. “It would have been destroyed a number of times already” if it depended on us.

Hence, “there’s an order of governance that’s rooted in benevolence, whose role is to manifest benevolence” and to disallow judgment to take its (rightful) toll. “This utterly benevolent order is termed Erich Anpin“. It functions this way at all junctures and covertly (as a rule). “And so the universe continues” thanks to it.   But sometimes it manifests itself overtly in known ways and for particular reasons, Ramchal concludes.

We would add that this statement affirms the deep hopes and faith of many that despite it all,  God’s goodness and mercy will always prevail in the end.

(c) 2015 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org

———————————————–

AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here at a discount.

You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here at a discount as well.

Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).

Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence” and “Ramchal”.

Here’s the text of the end of Petach 95 again, and its explanations.

We must next understand that when it comes to Erich Anpin as the root rather than the generator of Zeir Anpin spoken of below and the mystical implications of its governance, we’re only to consider Erich‘s “skull” and “brain” which are cited in Iddrah Rabbah (122b). And we’re to consider their Tikkunim which are the other, non-governing elements like the “hairs”, the “nose”, and the like which the Iddrah Rabbah  cites there, according to their functions in the mystical idea of the overpowering of Erich‘s Chessed.

The Iddrah Zuta (288a), on the other hand, cites three governing element and doesn’t elucidate much about the aforementioned Tikkunim.  Thus were told that when it comes to the mystical idea of Erich generating Zeir Anpin rather than being its root spoken of above we’re to consider Erich‘s “three heads”, i.e., its “crown”, “cavity”, and “brain” and their Tikkunim which generate Tikkunim in Zeir Anpin. “Crown”, “cavity”, and “brain” allude to the left, right, and middle aspects of Zeir, which are an admixture of the thesis and antithesis of Chessed and Gevurah along with their synthesis of Rachamim. That’s in contrast to the Erich‘s exclusively Chessed-based form of governance.

As to the terms “Skull”, “Brain”, “Crown”, and “Cavity”, which are found in the Zohar and in Ari’s writings, they’re openly and decidedly anthropomorphic. Each element refers to things in Adam Kadmon that don’t affect us now. Suffice it to note that the “skull” is underneath the head’s “crown” and it’s comprised of a “cavity” within which sits the “brain”.

This completes Section Sixteen.

(c) 2015 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org

———————————————–

AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here at a discount.

You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here at a discount as well.

Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).

Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence” and “Ramchal”.