Kabbalah Library

1. “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.’’” How many times did the Torah testify about people? How many times did the Torah raise her voice in all directions to awaken them? Yet, they are all asleep in their iniquities, and do not look. They do not notice with what face they will rise to the high day of judgment, when the upper king avenges against them the affront of the Torah, which yells toward them, but they do not turn their faces to it. It is because they are all flawed in everything, and do not know the faith of the upper king. Woe to them, and woe to their souls.

2. The Torah testifies about him and says, “‘Whoever is a fool, let him come here,’ and to the heartless, she said to him.” Heartless is one who has no faith, since one who does not engage in Torah, there is no faith in him, and he is flawed in everything. “Amra [Said] to him” should have been written as “[Omra] said to him,” as it is written, Omra l’El Sal’I [I say to God, my rock]. However, it comes to include and add the Torah of above, which calls him heartless, too, flawed in faith.

3. Anyone who does not engage in Torah, it is forbidden to approach him and partake with him, and trade with him, much less walk with him along the way. If there is no faith in him, anyone who walks on the way and does not have words of Torah with him is risking his soul, much less one who bonds along the way with one in whom there is no faith, since he does not appreciate the honor of his master and his own honor, for he does not watch over his soul.

4. One who does not watch over his soul and connects to one who is faithless, how will he draw a kosher [fitting/worthy/proper] soul for his son? It is written about that, “Do not be as a horse, as a mule, without understanding.” Happy are the righteous who engage in Torah and know the ways of the Creator, who sanctify themselves with the sanctity of the king, and who are holy in everything. Because of it, they draw from above the spirit of holiness, and their sons are all true righteous an are called “the sons of the king,” holy sons.

5. Woe to the wicked ones, who are all audacious and their actions are insolent during intercourse. Because of it, their sons inherit an insolent soul from the side of impurity, as it is written, “And you will be defined in them.” “He who comes to be defiled is defiled.” “Do not be as a horse, as a mule,” who have more whoredom than all creations. “Who do not understand,” for people on this way do not try to understand. It is written here, “who do not understand,” and it is written there, “And the dogs are audacious, insatiable, they are shepherds, who do not understand.” In other words, as they are audacious there, here, too, they will have sons who are called “audacious” because they do not understand.

6. “Insatiable, they are shepherds.” Shepherds are those who lead and guide a person to Hell. They are insatiable, as it is written, “The leach,” meaning Hell, “has two daughters: Have! Have.” Because they say “Have! Have! [give, give],” they are insatiable. It is written, “They all took to their own way, each to his own gain, from his own territory,” for they demand Hell. This occurred to them because they did not sanctify in the coupling as they should have. This is why it is written, “You will be holy for I the Lord am holy.” The Creator said, “Of all the nations, I wanted only Israel to adhere to Me,” as it is written, “And you who adhere to the Lord,” you and not the rest of the nations.