David & Dorothy Weiser, z l

Transcription

1 With tremendous gratitude to Hashem Yisborach, we are honored to contribute to the publication of this monumental work, Sha ar HaGilgulim, based upon the teachings of the holy Arizal, translated and annotated by our dear friend, Rabbi Pinchas Winston, shlita. It is especially appropriate to dedicate the translation of this book in loving memory and in honor of our beloved parents Dovid ben Abraham 26 Elul, 5773 Devora Liba bat Zelig 24 Tishrei 5774 David & Dorothy Weiser, z l May their memory be blessed and their souls elevated. May their souls rest in peace and may we be reunited in Techiyas HaMeisim, Moshiach should come speedily in our days. With love from their children, Steven, Glenn, Jonathan, Andrea, their spouses, and all of their grandchildren. From life to death, may seem like ages, Countless stories, to fill countless pages. Yet one lifetime, would still fall quite shy, Many lifetimes, have we lived you and I. This body is not, the first I have had, There may be deep reasons, For why I feel sad. We are here again, To fix something up, Though we go about life, and raise our own cup. Pity the one, Who knows not what we mean, Who goes through life, Quite unaware of what has been. Celebrate all of you, Who know why you re here, When you reach the great end, You ll have little to fear.

2 his discusses] the T matter of new and old souls. This matter has already been ex- plained somewhat in the fifth gate, Sha ar HaMitzvos, on the mitzvos of the sending away of the mother bird. Now will also be explained the origin of the root of souls, from where they begin. Know that when all the worlds were created, even the World of Atzilus, 1 they came into existence at the beginning b sod a back- to- back pairing. 2 After that, it returned to exist chaptersix Soul Roots & Repentance בענין נשמות חדשות וישנות מה עניינם. וכבר נתבאר קצת ענין זה בש"ה שער המצות במצות שלוח הקן. גם נבאר התחלת שורש הנשמות מהיכן התחילה. דע, כי כאשר נבראו כל העולמות, ואפילו עולם האצילות, נתהוה בתחלה בסוד זווג אחור באחור. ואח"כ חזר להתהוות 1 The second highest level of reality, Atzilus is completely spiritual and beyond the grasp of the Klipos and could, seemingly, be created from a face- to- face zivug (see next note), but wasn t. 2 Just as a man and woman are intimate to procreate, called a zivug, or pairing, likewise do the sefiros pair with each other to create souls, also called a zivug. And just as procreation is only possible when the man and woman face each other, likewise must the sefiros be face- to- face to create new souls. However, sefiros turn away from each other, as per the will of God, during times of exile to limit the amount of light the Klipos can take from the side of holiness. Soul Roots & Repentance 79

3 on the level of face- to- face. 3 Also the level of the souls of man was like this because in the beginning they came into existence back- to- back. After that, from the time that Adam HaRishon was created onward until the arrival of Moshiach, the rectification has been to these souls, which at that time came into existence back- to- back, but will become new and come out from a face- to- face pairing. After originally coming into exis- tence from [a] back- to- back [pairing], they descended with the exile of the Shechinah below into the Klipos. 4 When a righteous person has a completely good intention he can draw out, with this intention, a new soul. This is the explanation: the soul within the Klipos will ascend from there and be elevated b sod They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Eichah 3:23). 5 בבחי' פנים בפנים. והנה גם בחי' נשמות של בני אדם, היו כך, כי תחלה נתהוו בבחי' אחור באחור. ואח"כ מן העת אשר נברא אדם הראשון ואילך, עד ביאת המשיח, התקון הנעשה מאז ואילך, הוא לאותם הנשמות, שאז נתהוו בבחי' אחור באחור, שיהיו עתה חדשות יוצאות מזווג פנים בפנים. לפי שאחר נתהוו בתחלה מאחור באחור, ירדו עם גלות השכינה למטה בתוך הקליפות, וכאשר איזה צדיק מכוין איזו כונה גמורה טובה, יכול להמשיך ע"י כונתו ההיא איזו נשמה חדשה, פירוש: שהנשמה שבתוך הקליפה, תתעלה משם ולמעלה, בסוד חדשים לבקרים רבה אמונתך, 3 The matter of the first zivug of Zehr Anpin and Nukvah at the time of their emanation was not like the rest of the zivugim after that, because this zivug did occur below. Rather, Abba and Imma elevated Zehr Anpin into their laps, and after that the Nukvah ascended b sod, And He brought her to the man (Bereishis 2:22), and that is where they had a zivug. After, Zehr Anpin and Nukvah descended to their places, where they had to return back- to- back so that the Klipos could not latch on. Then, while they were back- to- back, the Nukvah brought out and gave birth to the soul of Adam and Chava. Remember this principle well when it says that Adam and Chava came out from a back- to- back zivug, because it is not according to the simple explanation since it is not possible to have a zivug other than face- to- face. Rather, it means that Zehr Anpin and Nukvah were unable to remain face- to- face in their places and therefore had to ascend to the lap of Abba and Imma to have a zivug as a result of the M N of the Binah that the Malchus elevated (Aitz Chaim, Sha ar 39, Ch. 1) 4 See Chapter 3. Rashi interprets this verse to refer to God s kindnesses. The Alshich says this verse is talking about the daily 5 renewal of a person s soul, while the Talmud says it refers to the creation of new angels (Chagigah 14a). 80 SHA AR HAGILGULIM

4 There it will be renewed and after that it will descend into this world on the level of face- to- face. This will be the beginning of their creation 6 they are considered to be new. These souls will not be likely to sin like the rest of the souls were. However, know that at this stage of history we only have the ability to draw out new souls from Beriyah, Yetzi- rah and Asiyah, 7 the sod of Neshamah, Ruach and Nefesh, as it is known. In the future, however, after the resurrection, higher new souls will come that are from the World of Atzilus, from the lev- el of the soul of Atzilus that Adam HaR- ishon had, called Zihara Ila a, 8 as will be explained in upcoming discussions. This is the sod of what is written in the Zohar in Pekudai, page 253a: From the time the Temple was de- stroyed other souls have not entered the Sanctuary of Love. 9 This is because new souls from [a] face- to- face [zivug] from Atzilus have not entered there. New souls from Beriyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, however, can come even during the time after the destruction. However, the rest of the souls ושם תתחדש, ואח"כ תרד משם בעה"ז מבחי' פנים בפנים, ועתה הם תחלת ברייתם, ונקראים חדשות. ואלו הנשמות מוכנות שלא לחטוא כשאר הנשמות. אך דע, כי אין בנו כח בכל הזמן הזה רק להמשיך אלו הנשמות החדשות, אותם שהם מן הבי"ע, שהם סוד נשמה רוח נפש כנודע. אבל לעתיד לבא אחר התחיה, יבואו נשמות חדשות יותר מעולות, שהם מעולם האצילות והם מבחי' הנשמה דאצילות שהיה לאדה"ר, הנקראת בשם זיהרא עילאה, כמו שיתבאר בדרושים הבאים. וז"ס מ"ש בס"ה פרשת פקודי דף רנ"ג ע"א, שמיום שנחרב בית המקדש, לא נכנסו נשמות בהיכל האהבה. כי אלו החדשות דפנים בפנים מן עולם האצילות, לא נכנסו שם. אבל הנשמות שמן הבי"ע החדשות, אפשר שיבואו אפילו בזמן שלאחר החרבן. אבל כל שאר נשמות 6 Inasmuch as they are coming into the world from a face- to- face zivug this time. 7 That is, from the levels of Beriyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. 8 Literally, Upper Emanation. 9 In Hebrew: Heichal HaAhavah, the level of the Chesed of the Zehr Anpin of Beriyah. Other souls is explained to refer to new souls. Soul Roots & Repentance 81

5 that come into the world are from those that were incorporated in the soul of Adam HaRishon after he had been created back- to- back. After that, [God] separated him from the level of back- to- back, and returned him to face- to- face. 10 Thus all the old souls come from him. Two. Division of Adam s Soul Know that Adam HaRishon 11 di- vided into 248 limbs, just as his body included 248 limbs. 12 There were other levels within him as well, and they were from the levels of many types of hairs hanging from him, which were unlimit- ed. All of the specific sparks of the souls in this world, all of them are from these levels from Adam HaRishon, as mentioned. However, these specific [sparks] and levels mentioned were later drawn into human bodies and born from Adam HaRishon. These spe- cific [sparks] are called soul roots 13 since all of them were drawn from there from these levels of Adam HaR- ishon, as mentioned. הבאות בעולם, הם מאותם שהיו כלולות בנשמת אדה"ר, אחר אשר נברא אחור באחור, חזר ונסרו מבחי' פנים בפנים, והחזירו פנים בפנים. ונמצא כי כל הנשמות הישנות הם באים ממנו. ודע, כי אדה"ר מתחלק לרמ"ח איברים, על דרך גופו הנכלל מן רמ"ח איברים. גם יש בו בחי' אחרות, והם מבחי' כמה מיני שערות התלוים בו לאין קץ. והנה כל נצוצי פרטי הנשמות שבעה"ז, כולם הם מבחי' אלו שיש באדה"ר כנזכר. ואמנם אלו הפרטים והבחי' הנז', נמשכו אח"כ בגופות האנשים הנולדים מן אדה"ר. ואלו הפרטים הם הנקראים אצלינו שרשי הנשמות, להיותם כולם נמשכות משם מבחי' אלו של אדם כנזכר. 10 Adam and Chava were created back- to- back, after which they were separated before procreating. 11 That is, his soul. 12 These are actually levels of his soul, which were set up, spiritually, in a similar manner to that of his physical body. 13 In Hebrew: Shorshei HaNeshamos, or Roots of the Souls. 82 SHA AR HAGILGULIM

6 For each person to now know the root of his soul he must know and rec- ognize into whom the specific sparks of the limbs and hairs of Adam HaRishon distributed; 14 these are called roots of the souls that came from him. 15 It is likewise with respect to each limb in the manner elucidated by Chazal on the verse, Where were you when I founded the earth? (Iyov 38:4). 16 It has already been explained that most of the souls are from the level of Kayin and Hevel, the sons of Adam HaRishon, after which they branched off among all those born since that time. Even though, at this time, this will not be explained in detail since this is not the place for this discussion, the matter will be explained with an analo- gy. Imagine if we say that Hevel is the level of the head of all the souls. Thus, the soul of Hevel is the root of all the specific soul sparks of people who are from the level of the head. Likewise, Avraham Avinu, a h, being the level of the right arm of Adam HaRishon, as it says, all the specific sparks of souls of people from the level of the right arm of Adam are included in Avraham, is והנה לדעת עתה כל איש ואיש, מה שרש של נשמתו, צריך שידע ויכיר, במי נתחלקו כל פרטי נצוצות איברים ושערות של אדה"ר, וזה יקרא שרשי הנשמות הבאות ממנו, וכן בכל אבר ואבר, ע"ד מה שדרשו חז"ל בפסוק איפה היית ביסדי ארץ. וכבר ביארנו לך, כי רוב הנשמות הם בחי' קין והבל, בניו של אדה"ר, ומשם יפרדו אח"כ לכל הנולדים מאז ואילך. ואע"פ שלא נבאר עתה הענין הזה בדיוק גמור, כי אין פה מקום הדרוש הזה, אמנם בדרך משל נבאר ענינן, כי הגע עצמך שנאמר, שהבל הוא בחי' הראש של הנשמות כלם, נמצא כי נשמת הבל, היא השורש של כל פרטי נצוצי הנשמות שבבני אדם, שהם מבחי' הראש. וכן אם אברהם אבינו ע"ה הוא בחינת זרוע ימין של אדה ר נאמר כי כל פרטי נצוצי הנשמות שבבני אדם מבחי' הזרוע ימין של אדם, הם נכללים באברהם, והוא 14 As will be explained shortly with an analogy. 15 That is, Adam HaRishon. 16 Shemos Rabbah 40:3; they interpret this verse to mean that God asked Iyov if he knew from which soul limb his soul came. Soul Roots & Repentance 83

7 their root. It is similar for the rest of the limbs and hairs of the soul of Adam HaRishon. This is not the place for this discussion. Three. Eight Levels of Repentance Now the matter of the distinc- tions in the details of repentance that people must do will be explained. As a result some of this discussion will be understood. There are eight divisions of teshu- vah. The first is, if a person has a Nefesh from the World of Asiyah and he sins he causes Asiyah to separate from Yetzi- rah, 17 the specific place [of separation] being determined by the root of his Ne- fesh. 18 His teshuvah, therefore, is to re- join Asiyah to Yetzirah at the place of the level of the root of his Nefesh. Likewise, someone who has Ru- ach from Yetzirah and sins needs to join Yetzirah to Beriyah at the specific place of the level of his root, as mentioned. Someone who has Neshamah from Beriyah must join Beriyah to Atzilus, as mentioned above. [Thus,] these three lower divisions of teshuvah are in the worlds of Beriyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. שרש שלהם. ועד"ז בכל שאר איברים ושערות של נשמת אדה"ר, ואין כאן מקום דרוש זה. אמנם נבאר עתה ענין חלוקי פרטי התשובה הצריכה לבני אדם, ובהם יובן קצת מן הדרוש הזה: הנה חלקי התשובה הם שמונה: האחת היא, כי מי שיש בו נפש מעולם העשיה, הנה כשחוטא אדם, גורם להפריד העשיה מן היצירה, בבחי' פרטיות המקום, שהוא תלוי בו שרש נפשו, ולכן היא תשובתו, שיתקן עד שיחזיר להתחבר עשיה ביצירה, בבחי' המקום ההוא של שרש נפשו. וכן מי שיש בו רוח מן היצירה, וחטא, צריך לחבר יצירה בבריאה בפרטות בחי' שרשו כנזכר. ומי שיש בו נשמ"ה מן בריאה, צריך לחבר בריאה באצילות על הנז"ל. והרי אלו שלשה חלקי תשובה תחתונים, כי הם בעולמות בי"ע. 17 Just like between two people, when one violates the relationship it creates a distance between the two of them, likewise does a sin cause sefiros to separate from one another. A sin causes the level of soul to which the sin occurred to descend away from the levels of soul above it. 18 That is the specific place within Asiyah where the break will occur. 84 SHA AR HAGILGULIM

8 There are five other levels of teshuvah that are higher since they are in the world of Atzilus itself. The first is to return the Malchus of Atzilus to its place, which is below the Yesod. This is on the specific level of the root of his soul, as discussed. The second is to return it even higher to the Netzach, Hod and Yesod, 19because that is the place from which it emanated, as is known. 20 The third is to return it higher, to the Chesed, Gevu- rah and Tifferes, while the fourth is to return it even higher, to the Chochmah, Binah and Da as, which are the three mochin 21 of Zehr Anpin. 22 These four elevations are all levels within Zehr An- pin. There is a fifth [level of] teshuvah, more essential and elevated than all of them: to return and elevate [the Malchus] to the place of Abba and Imma. 23 This level is alluded to in the Zohar and Sefer HaTikunim, which call it Eighth Level Teshuvah, as it is known, since Imma is the eighth [sefirah] from the bottom upward. עוד יש חמשה חלקי תשובה יותר עליונים כי הם בעולם האצילות עצמו. הא' היא, להחזיר המלכות דאצילות למקומה, אשר הוא תחת היסוד, וזה בבחי' פרטיות שרש נשמתו כנזכר. הב', להשיבה יותר למעלה עד נה"י, כי שם מקום אצילותה כנודע. הג', להשיבה יותר למעלה, עד חג"ת. הד', להשיבה יותר למעלה, עד חב"ד, שהם שלשה מוחין דז"א. והרי ארבעה עליות אלו, וכולם בבחי' מגרגת ז"א. עוד יש תשובה חמישית עיקריית ועליונה מכלם, והיא להשיבה ולהעלותה, עד מקום או"א. ואל חלק זה רמזו בס"ה, ובספר התקונין, וקראוה תשובה דרגא תמינאה, כנודע כי אימא היא תמינאה ממטה למעלה. 19 Of the Zehr Anpin of Atzilus. 20 Netzach, Hod, and Yesod, from which the light comes to build a level of Malchus. 21 Literally, brains, the part of the body to which these sefiros correspond and whose function they perform within the sefiros. 22 The level of Yetzirah within Atzilus. Even though Zehr Anpin usually refers to only the six sefiros of Chesed through Yesod, as an individual partzuf it is considered to have a full complement of 10 sefiros, including its own Chochmah, Binah, and Da as. The general Malchus usually functions as its Malchus. 23 Above the Zehr Anpin of Atzilus, to the levels of the Chochmah and Binah within Atzilus. Soul Roots & Repentance 85

9 Four. Extent of Blemish It is necessary to know that it is the level of the place of the soul of a person that determines the strength and severity of the blemish of his sin. The blemish of someone with a Nefesh from the Malchus of Atzilus will reach until there, and will blemish the portion of his root that is there. It is similar with respect to the rest of the levels. It is also necessary to know that if someone from an earlier generation that preceded [the current person], from the level of his soul, achieved [the levels of] Nefesh and Ruach from Asiyah and Yetzirah [respectively], and sinned and blemished his Ruach, he will need to reincarnate in this [current] person, the second one born now with only a Nefesh. [However,] though only the level of Nefesh entered this person, when he sins he will blemish all the way up to Yetzirah, as if the Ruach also en- tered him. 24 When he wants to repent he will need to rectify as if he has Ruach and Nefesh and blemished them both. It is likewise with the rest of the details. With respect to the matter of the repentance of a person, he will need to know the manner of his reincarnation in another way that will now be explained וצריך שתדע, כי כפי מעלת מקום נשמת האדם, כך חוזק וחומר פגימת חטאו, כי מי שיהיה לו נפש ממלכות דאצילות, יעלה פגמו עד שם, ויפגום בחלק שרשו אשר שם, ועד"ז בשאר הבחי'. גם צריך שתדע, כי אם איזה אדם, מן הראשונים שקדמו אליו, שהיו מבחי' בעלי נשמתו, היו לו נפש ורוח מן העשיה ויצירה, וחטא ופגם בחי' רוחו, והוצרך להתגלגל באדם הזה הב' אשר נולד עתה, הנה עם היות שהאדם הזה לא נכנסה בו רק בחינת הנפש בלבד, הנה כאשר חוטא, הוא פוגם עד למעלה ביצירה, כאלו נכנס בו גם בחי' רוח. וכאשר ירצה לשוב בתשובה, צריך שיתקן כאילו היה בו רוח ונפש ונפגמו שניהם, ועד"ז בשאר הפרטים. גם לענין תקון תשובתו של האדם, צריך שידע האדם עוד אופן גלגולו, באופן אחר שנבאר עתה 24 Even though he personally only possesses the level of Nefesh. 86 SHA AR HAGILGULIM

10 briefly, since it has already been dis- cussed elsewhere. It is this: If the order of reincarna- tions of his soul that preceded him were, for example, 20 or 30 reincarna- tions, he needs to know if the first of the 30 had, for example, the Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah from Beriyah, Yet- zirah and Asiyah. If [the first one] blem- ished [the three of] them, then all 30 that come after him, even though only the Nefesh entered them, must rectify as if they blemished all of Beriyah, Yetzi- rah and Asiyah. This is because at the beginning, the first one that preceded them all of them was a Nefesh that received light from the Neshamah of Beriyah. There- fore, it is now necessary to return the light to it that it 25 had at the beginning to complete its repentance. This is the sod of the verse, For she has taken from God double for her sins. (Yeshayahu 40:2), because some- times a person will commit a minor sin and they will be strict with him, punish- ing him as if he committed a [more] severe sin, twice what he did. Thus, one cannot question the ways of God, may He be blessed, if one sees such things happen. Apparently the mind is בקצור, עם שכבר נתבאר אצלינו במקום אחר, והוא, כי הנה אם בסדר גלגולי נשמתו קדמו אליו ע"ד משל, עשרים או שלשים מגולגלים, צריך לדעת אם הראשון שבכל אלו השלשים, היו בו ע"ד משל נר"ן מבי"ע, ופגם בהם, הנה כל השלשים הבאים אחריו, אע"פ שלא נכנס בהם רק בחי' נפש בלבד, צריכים להתקן כאלו פגמו בכל בי"ע. לפי שבתחלה בראשון שקדם לכלם, היתה הנפש מקבלת אור מן הנשמה של הבריאה, ועתה צריך להחזיר אליה האור ההוא שהיה לה בתחלה, ואז יושלם תקון תשובתה. וז"ס פסוק כי לקחה מיד ה' כפלים בכל חטאתיה. כי לפעמים יחטא האדם חטא קל מאד, וידקדקו עמו, ונפרעים ממנו כאלו חטא חטא חמור מאד, כפלים מאשר חטא. ולכן אין להרהר אחר מדותיו יתברך, אם יראה האדם כיוצא בדברים אלו, שלכאורה אין הדעת The Nefesh from the first incarnation. Once again, the current individual, though he only possesses a Nefesh, 25 has to do teshuvah as if he blemished his Nefesh and Ruach. Soul Roots & Repentance 87

11 unable to understand them, 26 though everything from Him, may He be blessed, is righteous and just. If, however, from the first until the ninth [reincarnation] of the 30 he only merited a Nefesh and a Ruach, and [only] in the tenth also merited a Ne- shamah, and after that he sinned and blemished it, the original sins and blem- ishes and their rectification will only be b sod Ruach, and even more so, [b sod] Nefesh. For the tenth, however, and all the rest after it until the end of the thir- tieth, the blemish and rectification will be b sod Neshamah as well. 27 From this you may derive many details whose number is beyond counting. Thus, a person cannot completely repent until he knows the root of the place to which his soul is attached, and the levels of the reincarnations, from the level of his soul, that preceded him. Hence, they are particular in the Zohar [as mentioned regarding] Shir HaShir- im, on the verse, Tell me, You Whom My soul loves, etc. (Shir HaShirim 1:7), that a person must know who his soul is, why it has come into this world, and what it needs to rectify, as discussed there at length. סובלתם, והכל מאתו יתברך בצדק ובמשפט. ואמנם אם מהראשון עד הט' הראשונים שבאלו השלשים, לא זכו רק אל נפש ורוח, והעשירי זכה גם אל הנשמה, ואחר כך חטא ופגם בה, הנה החטא ראשונים פגימתם וגם תקונם ותשובתם, היא סוד רוח לבד, ומכ"ש נפש. אבל העשירי, וכן כל השאר שממנו ואילך, עד סיום השלשים, פגימתם ותקונם הוא גם בסוד נשמה. ומזה תקיש לשאר פרטי פרטים עצמו מספר. ונמצא, כי אין האדם יכול לשוב בתשובה שלימה כתקנה, עד שידע שרש מקום אחיזת נשמתו, ובחי' המולגלים מבחי' נשמתו שקדמו אליו אשר על כן החמירו בזוהר שיר השירים, בפסוק הגידה לי שאהבה נפשי וכו', שצריך האדם לידע מי נשמתו, ועל מה בא לעה"ז, ומה צריכה לתקן, כנזכר שם בארך. 26 We only see a person do a minor sin in his current lifetime, and have no way of knowing that his rectification is for a higher level sin from previous reincarnations. 27 In other words, the sins of previous reincarnations can affect those that follow, but not those that preceded it. 88 SHA AR HAGILGULIM