Ch. 51<\/p>\n
1.<\/p>\n
We now touch on the idea of teshuvah<\/em>, which while commonly translated as \u201cpenitence\u201d is actually better termed \u201creturning\u201d — returning to God after having abandoned Him and gone one\u2019s own merry way without giving a thought of Him. So if dwelling on thoughts of God draws one close to Him as most would say, or if emulating<\/em> Him as Ashlag would indicate does that, then giving no thought to any of that is a great and terrible error. While conventional Jewish ethics-texts would challenge us to repent if that were true, that\u2019s to say, to amend our ways and rectify our character, Ashlag charges us to intensify our efforts to emulate Him.<\/p>\n He now explains the process, which can be likened to a form of spiritual evolution that entails rising higher and higher up the great chain of being.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Know that you\u2019re only credited with having drawn closer to God and purified yourself when your efforts are permanent, and when (it\u2019s clear that) you won\u2019t ever lapse. As it\u2019s said, “What is (true) penitence? When He who knows all secrets would testify that (you) won\u2019t ever lapse” (see Maimonides\u2019 Hilchot Teshuvah<\/em> 2:2). <\/strong><\/p>\n Philosopher, halachist, and classic ethicist Rabbi Moses Maimonides <\/strong>indicated that true penitence — true spiritual ascent and expiation after having transgressed and lowered one\u2019s stature — comes down to \u201cno longer committing the transgression one once committed, not thinking of committing it anymore, and affixing in his heart the commitment to never do it again\u201d (ibid.), and to doing that so distinctly that even He who knows your heart (i.e., God) would affirm your effort.<\/p>\n Ashlag will now make the point that the source<\/em> of our transgressing — our stark willingness to only take-in itself — is what calls for teshuvah<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Hence it follows that what we’d said … that if you purify the mineral-ness of your ratzon l\u2019kabel<\/em> that you\u2019ll merit a partzuf<\/em> of the Nephesh<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em>, and that you\u2019ll ascend upward and be engarbed in the sephirah<\/em> of Malchut<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em> … means that you\u2019ll certainly be rewarded when you permanently purify your mineral-ness to the degree that you\u2019ll never lapse. And you\u2019ll be able to ascend to the world of Assiyah<\/em>, since you\u2019ll have realized purity and a complete affinity of form with that world.<\/strong><\/p>\n That means to say that if you repent for your willingness to only take-in on a mineral, a most basic level, then you\u2019ll have achieved a degree of purity and teshuvah<\/em> that would enable you to draw closer to God than you could have before indeed. For you will have attained an \u201caffinity of form with that world\u201d at least, and thus begun the process of attaining an essential affinity with God Himself (see 11: 2), which is the greatest act of teshuvah<\/em> and of drawing close to Him.<\/p>\n 2.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 But as to (achieving) the other levels — Ruach<\/em>, Neshama<\/em>, Chaya<\/em> and Yechidah<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em> — you\u2019d need to (first) purify their ratzon l\u2019kabel<\/em>\u2019s corresponding vegetable-ness, animal-ness, and verbal-ness in order for them to be engarbed in and receive those lights. But that purification wouldn\u2019t have to be permanent, (i.e., to the point where) \u201cHe who knows all secrets will testify that (you) won\u2019t ever lapse\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n … as you had to do to achieve the above level.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Because the whole world of Assiyah<\/em> — along with its Keter<\/em>, Chochma<\/em>, Binah<\/em>, Tipheret<\/em>, and Malchut<\/em> (cluster of) sephirot<\/em> — actually only encompasses the realm of Malchut<\/em>, which is only germane to the purification of mineral-ness. And its five sephirot<\/em> are only five subdivisions of Malchut<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Thus, since you will have already merited purifying the mineral part of the ratzon l\u2019kabel<\/em>, you\u2019d already (be experiencing an) affinity in form with the entire world of Assiyah<\/em>. <\/strong><\/p>\n That is, since \u201ceverything that exists on a comprehensive level exists on a particular level as well\u201d (Ch. 50), you\u2019re having achieved an affinity in form to the above degree insinuates that you\u2019ll achieve it to succeeding degrees, too — though not permanently, as we\u2019ll soon see.<\/p>\n 3.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 It\u2019s just that since every sephirah<\/em> from the world of Assiyah<\/em> receives (illumination) from its corresponding sephirah<\/em> in the higher worlds.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thus when, for example, Tipheret<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em> receives (illumination) from the world of Yetzirah<\/em>, which is all Tipheret<\/em> and Ruach<\/em>-Light; when Binah<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em> receives (illumination) from the world of Briah<\/em>, which is all Neshama<\/em>; or when Chochma<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em> receives (illumination) from Atzilut<\/em>, which is all Chochma<\/em> and Chaya<\/em>-Light — even though you\u2019ll have only permanently purified your mineral-ness, still and all if you (eventually) purify the remaining three aspects of your ratzon l\u2019kabel<\/em> (i.e., their vegetable-, animal-, and verbal-ness), even though you will not permanently purify them, you can still receive the Ruach<\/em>, Neshama<\/em>, and Chaya<\/em> (levels) from Tipheret<\/em>, Binah<\/em>, and Chochma<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em>, though only temporarily.<\/strong><\/p>\n But why will you only receive them temporarily?<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Because once one of those three parts of the ratzon l\u2019kabel<\/em> has been stirred, it\u2019s immediately deprived of these lights.<\/strong><\/p>\n That’s to say that once your innate inclination to take-in rather than bestow kicks in, be it on a primitive or sophisticated level (for even the more erudite and learned lapse into selfishness to a degree from time to time), you’ll have taken a step backward and wouldn’t have truly repented of your ways as you would have to.<\/p>\n \u00a0(c) 2012 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman<\/p>\n Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org<\/a><\/p>\n AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here<\/a> at a discount.<\/p>\n \u00a0You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here<\/a> at a discount as well.<\/p>\n Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).<\/p>\n Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence<\/a>\u201d and \u201cRamchal<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ch. 51 1. We now touch on the idea of teshuvah, which while commonly translated as \u201cpenitence\u201d is actually better termed \u201creturning\u201d — returning to God after having abandoned Him and gone one\u2019s own merry way without giving a thought … Continue reading