Kabbalah Library

368. When a person passes away from the world, the Neshama and the Nefesh go together, as it is written, “And they two walked until they came to Bethlehem.” Naomi is Neshama, and Ruth is Nefesh.

369. “And it came to pass that when they came to Bethlehem, the whole city was excited because of them, and they [women] said, ‘Is this Naomi,’” the Neshama that went from this place? This was when the Neshama was in impregnation in Malchut, who is called Bethlehem, and was filled with abundance there, filled with Torah. There was a pillar of cloud at its beginning in the day, and a pillar of fire at night, and a candle was burning before it.

They would show her the Garden of Eden, the place of the good reward for the righteous, and showed her Hell, the place of the punishments of the wicked, who are sentenced in it for their iniquities, as it is written, “when His lamp shone above my head,” for the writing concerns the time of the impregnation of the soul in the abdomen of her mother, Malchut.

370. At that time, the Neshama says, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Marah [bitter] for Shaddai has made it very bitter for me. I went full, and the Lord has returned me empty. I, who was in impregnation in this place, full of Torah, filled with abundance, now the Lord has returned me empty to this world.

371. “Why would you call me Naomi, and the Lord has answered me and Shaddai has harmed me, for the evil inclination entered me, the beastly spirit and soul, of which it is written, ‘Women’s wisdom built her home, and folly will ruin it in her hands.’”

“Women’s wisdom built her home” are the Neshama and Nefesh of holiness. “And folly will ruin it in her hands” is the beastly soul, which will ruin the building of the body with her folly. And this is the one who remains in the body, as it is written, “but his flesh will pain him and his soul will mourn him,” for the body and the soul participate together.

372. What is this like? It is like a king who appointed two guards over his garden, one of whom was lame, and the other blind. He told them, “Be careful not to eat from the fruit of this garden, for I know each fruit in it.”

373. What did they do? The lame one said to the blind, “We do want to eat from the fruit of these trees.” The blind one said, “But I cannot see.” The lame one said, “And I cannot walk.” What did they do? The lame one rode on the blind and they ate.

374. When the king came and saw that they ate from the fruit of the tree, he said to them, “Who ate from the fruit of the tree?” The blind one said, “But I cannot see.” The lame one said, “But I cannot walk.” What did the king do? He said, just as you did, and ate from the fruit of the tree, so shall be done to you.” What did the king do? He said to his servants, “Put the lame one on the blind and give them sixty lashes in this place.”

375. So is the beastly soul from the evil inclination with the body. The soul says, “But I cannot sin!” And the body says that from the day when the soul has come out of him, he does not sin. The Creator makes one connection for them, the beastly soul with the body, and punishes them together. Similarly, if he were a righteous one, the Creator connects them and they receive a good reward together.