Kabbalah Library

11. Rabbi Aba said, “Once, we were walking in the desert and entered a cave. We found there an old book from the first days. We opened it and found that it is written in the beginning of its words, “The first ones have come, and I am telling news.” It explained the text regarding the souls of the righteous since the day it came up in the thought to create the world.

12. before the world was created, all the spirits of the righteous were concealed in thought before Him, each one in his form. Once the world was depicted, they were all revealed and stood in their form before Him there, in the height of the firmaments. Afterwards, He placed them in a treasury in the Garden of Eden of above, and that treasury is never full, and it is always calling, “The first ones have come, and I am telling news. I tell them all by name.” There is no passion and delight to that treasury unless when the souls come in it.

13. Just as Hell has no desire but to receive souls in it that will be purified there, and each day, it calls “Hav! Hav!” [give, give], “I will burn! I will burn!” for its craving is only to burn and purify the souls, similarly, that treasury in the Garden of Eden has no other passion but to receive the souls.

14. The treasury guards all those souls in it until the time it clothes them and they descend to this world. Because of the sin of Adam HaRishon, who darkened the world and drew the other, bad side to the world, the souls must clothe in this clothing before they come down to the world, since the Creator has prepared for them another clothing to clothe the souls. It is said in that book, “Thus far.” They were silent, and from here on, I saw sweet, unknown words.

15. Afterwards, I saw the words in a dream, and they said to me, “Be quiet and do not reveal except to Rabbi Shimon.” So I did, and I found in him.

If the Creator has prepared another clothing to clothe the souls for the next world, then what is the reason he did not make the same clothing for the dead that Ezekiel revived?

16. But because it was still not the time to pass that air that makes garments through the world. Because of it, He did not clothe them and they were revived as they were before. So it will be in the revival of the dead, except that the filth of the first body will not be there.

17. And when a person exits this world, everyone—righteous, Hassidim, whole ones, and wicked ones—all pass through the way to see Adam HaRishon who is seen by all the people in the world, and there they take the road, whether to the Garden of Eden or to Hell.

18. All those on the road to the Garden of Eden approach the wall outside those three walls that are there, which surround the Garden of Eden, and then an appointee comes out of it and awakens before them. He calls out and says, “Happy are you, righteous, in all the worlds,” and the appointee Yaazriel teaches them the way, and they walk before him up to a gate of Hell, and that appointee calls out loud, “Cool the smoke! Cool the fire!”

At that time, it is cooled hurriedly, and all the souls enter and dip in Hell and pass, and all the wicked are given to Angel Dumah and enter Hell, and the righteous are not given to him, but to the appointee Yaazriel.

19. Once they dip in Hell and pass through it, that appointee walks before them until they reach the fence of the wall of the Garden of Eden, and that appointee calls out at the door and says, “Open the gates and let a loyal righteous gentile enter.” At that time, the door is opened and lets them in. So he does at each door.

20. When the souls have entered inside, to the place where the other righteous stand, there is joy over joy, and much gladness over gladness on the righteous, and all the members of the seminary are happy. After three days of hiding in certain halls, they come out, and airs blow, and all are depicted in their form. From here on, they inherit the inheritance of a lot to each one appropriately.

21. The vision that is seen in the Garden of Eden, from the vision of the honor of the form of all the forms, and the color of all the colors of the holy king, is not revealed in the hall, and not in one place. Rather, an embroidered firmament is opened over the garden to four sides, and is filled by the brightness of the holy glory, and all the righteous are seen there and shine. Who has seen such joy and passion of that pleasantness of the Lord?

22. Thus far, I had permission to look in this book. While I leaned to see more, the book fled from my hands and I did not see it. I was left sad and crying.

I slept in that cave and saw Gabriel wearing cloths. He said to me, “Rabbi, why are you crying? Do not be sad, for the one to whom the book belongs, the book fled to him and he took it. And before he passed away from this world, he concealed it in that cave in that desert. Now that the book has been revealed to living people, it fled in the air and he took it.

23. “From here on, go on your way.” Since that day and until now, the book has not been revealed to me and I was not rewarded with hearing from whom it is. Whenever I remember it, I remain sad. Perhaps the Creator does not want its glory revealed in the world.