Kabbalah Library

31. The Creator’s mercy is on the assembly of Israel, as it is written, “The voice of my beloved knocks, ‘Open for me, my sister, my wife, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is filled with dew, my locks with drops of the night.” “Open for me” means a door to repentance, so you will be rewarded with all the good in the world. “For my head is filled with dew” is the beginning of the world. “My locks with drops of the night” is the end of the world.

From the beginning of the world to its end, I have filled with abundance for you, and you did not open for me at that time. Afterwards, when he insisted, it is written, “I arose to open to my beloved, and my beloved had turned away and was gone. My soul went out when he spoke.”

32. “I arose to open to my beloved” is the soul with the body. While the soul is in the body, they do not want to awaken the roads to repentance. When the soul wants to exit the body, she regrets that she did not repent until she went out from the body and the body remained as a worthless vessel.

33. All seven days, the soul mourns it. She says, “I arose to open to my beloved.” Repentance is good while the soul is in the body and the body has strength, and not when it is incapable.

34. What is this like? It is like a person standing by his table and he is hungry and craving to eat. While he eats, a poor man stands at the door and asks him to feed him, but he did not turn his face toward him. That poor man left in disappointment.

35. An hour later, he was served more food, but his belly was full with everything. When he saw that he could not eat any more, he said, “Give it to the poor man.” A wise man stood by him and said to him, “Fool! If you could eat, you would not give him. Now that you can no longer eat, you are giving it to the poor.”

36. So is man in this world: He walks in his vanities hungry for food and for making fortunes. The poor man, the good inclination, comes and asks him to please repent and engage in Torah, and he does not want to because he is hungrier for gaining wealth.

37. After some time, his strength weakens. When he sees that he can no longer make profits, he says, “I will repent.” He may be given time for this and he may not be given. The Creator says to him, “Fool! Now that you can no longer profit, you say, ‘I will repent,’ but if you could profit more, you would not repent.’” In the meantime, his soul departs.

38. Elisha Ben Avuya was greater than the friends, but he was not given permission to repent, as that voice came out and said, “Return, you backsliding children,” except for another. And while he was going to die, he said, “All the ways and roads above and below will be hidden from that man, so he does not come to the next world.