What
Is
Above
Reason
in
the
Work?
Article
No.
6,
1989
It
is
written
in
the
Musaf
[supplemental]
prayer
of
Rosh
Hashanah
[Hebrew
New
Year],
“Thus
said
the
Lord,
King
of
Israel
and
his
redeemer,
the
Lord
of
Hosts:
‘I
am
the
first,
and
I
am
the
last,
and
there
is
no
God
besides
Me.’”
We
should
understand
the
words
“King
of
Israel.”
Is
He
not
the
king
of
the
nations
of
the
world?
After
all,
He
is
the
king
of
the
world.
The
thing
is
that
we
should
know
that
all
that
we
say
about
the
Creator
is
not
about
the
Creator
Himself,
as
was
said
about
this,
“There
is
no
thought
or
perception
in
Him
whatsoever.”
Rather,
all
the
appellations
we
attribute
to
the
Creator
are
how
the
creatures
attained
Him
according
to
these
names,
as
it
is
written,
“By
Your
actions,
we
know
You.”
Therefore,
although
the
Creator
is
the
king
of
the
world,
even
if
the
created
beings
do
not
want
to
recognize
His
kingship,
He
does
not
need
their
consent
in
order
to
be
king
over
them.
He
rules
without
asking
them
and
does
what
He
wants.
No
one
has
any
say
in
the
world,
but
He
does
what
He
wants
and
He
does
not
need
the
consent
of
the
created
beings,
as
it
is
written,
“I
believe
in
whole
faith,
and
He
alone
does,
is
doing,
and
will
do
all
the
deeds.”
Yet,
we
could
ask,
If
He
is
king
over
us
without
asking
us,
why
must
we
take
upon
ourselves
the
burden
of
His
kingship,
if
He
rules
over
us
in
any
case?
The
answer
is
that
we
must
know
that
He
rules
over
us,
and
before
a
person
takes
upon
himself
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven
above
reason,
meaning
that
we
cannot
understand
this
within
reason,
and
a
person
cannot
see
that
His
guidance
is
in
the
form
of
good
and
doing
good.
Instead,
every
person
feels
lack
in
pleasure,
in
enjoyment
in
his
life.
Each
one
thinks
that
if
he
could
see
that
he
immediately
receives
what
he
prays
for
and
asks
of
the
Creator,
which
is
called
“within
reason,”
he
would
not
have
to
believe
that
the
Creator
hears
the
prayer,
since
he
would
see
with
his
own
eyes
that
the
Creator
helped
him.
But
when
he
prays
to
the
Creator
several
times
and
thinks
that
the
Creator
does
not
grant
his
prayer,
as
evidenced
by
the
fact
that
he
did
not
receive
anything
he
prayed
for,
then
a
person
must
strengthen
himself
and
say
that
he
believes
what
is
written,
“For
You
hear
the
prayer
of
every
mouth.”
Since
this
is
against
reason,
because
reason
shows
him
that
the
Creator
does
not
answer
him,
when
he
overcomes
and
says
that
what
the
intellect
and
reason
oblige
him
to
believe,
he
says,
“I
am
not
looking,
but
I
believe
in
the
sages
who
told
us
that
the
Creator
does
hear
the
prayer
of
every
mouth,”
this
is
called
“faith
above
reason.”
By
assuming
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven
in
this
way,
we
are
later
rewarded
with
“And
you
will
love
the
Lord
your
God
with
all
your
heart,”
and
with
equivalence
of
form,
called
“vessels
of
bestowal,”
the
Kelim
[vessels]
in
which
the
Creator
bestows
the
delight
and
pleasure
that
He
wanted
to
give.
Now
we
understand
what
we
must
attain
by
crowning
the
Creator
over
us,
since
by
this
we
acquire
Kelim
with
which
we
can
enjoy
the
Creator.
Therefore,
while
we
have
no
connection
with
the
Creator,
He
does
not
give
us
anything,
meaning
that
we
cannot
enjoy
something
that
is
not
in
us,
meaning
we
cannot
enjoy
the
Creator.
Only
to
the
extent
that
a
person
believes
in
the
Creator,
he
can
say
that
he
is
receiving
from
the
Creator.
However,
one
who
does
not
believe
in
the
Creator
cannot
receive
from
Him.
Only
to
the
extent
of
the
faith
in
Him
can
one
receive
from
Him
what
He
wants
to
give
to
the
created
beings.
However,
it
takes
a
lot
of
work
to
achieve
the
degree
of
assuming
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven.
1)
A
person
must
know
that
if
he
has
no
faith
in
the
Creator,
how
can
he
ask
anything
of
Him?
2)
What
will
it
give
him
if
he
has
fear
of
heaven?
That
is,
for
whose
sake
should
he
assume
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven?
Is
it
for
his
own
sake
or
for
the
Creator’s
sake?
If
we
say
that
it
is
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
the
question
is,
What
will
this
give
to
the
Creator
if
we
believe
that
He
is
the
king?
What
does
this
add
to
Him?
We
can
understand
that
a
flesh
and
blood
king
needs
respect,
but
does
the
Creator
need
the
creatures
to
respect
Him?
Is
He
needy
of
His
created
beings?
This
is
as
it
is
written
in
the
“Introduction
of
the
Book
of
Zohar”
(Item
191):
“Fear,
which
is
the
most
important,
is
when
one
fears
the
Creator
because
He
is
great
and
rules
over
everything.
He
is
great
because
He
is
the
root
from
which
all
the
worlds
expand,
and
His
greatness
is
seen
by
His
actions.
And
He
rules
over
everything
because
all
the
worlds
He
has
created,
upper
and
lower,
are
regarded
as
nothing
compared
to
Him
for
they
add
nothing
to
His
essence.”
In
other
words,
all
the
creatures
do
not
add
anything
to
Him.
Thus,
why
do
we
need
to
work
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
as
it
is
written,
“All
your
works
will
be
for
the
sake
of
heaven,
and
not
for
your
own
sake”?
After
all,
the
Creator
does
not
get
anything
from
our
work
for
Him
because
He
has
no
lacks.
Why
then
do
we
need
to
work
in
order
to
bestow?
Indeed,
this
is
only
for
the
sake
of
the
created
beings,
for
by
this
they
will
be
saved
from
disparity
of
form
from
the
Creator
and
will
be
rewarded
with
equivalence
of
form,
called
“As
He
is
merciful,
so
you
are
merciful.”
It
is
not
that
He
needs
them
to
work
for
Him,
as
though
He
needs
the
respect
of
the
creatures.
Rather,
by
working
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
called
“only
for
the
sake
of
heaven,”
the
creatures
will
benefit
from
this
and
will
enjoy.
This
is
called
that
the
Tzimtzum
[restriction]
and
the
concealment
were
in
order
to
bring
to
light
the
perfection
of
His
deeds,
meaning
for
the
creatures
to
be
able
to
enjoy
without
feeling
any
shame.
This
is
the
meaning
of
equivalence
of
form
and
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
the
Creator.
By
this
we
will
understand
what
we
asked
about
the
words,
“King
of
Israel.”
Is
He
not
the
king
of
the
nations
of
the
world?
The
answer
is
that
in
the
work,
every
person
is
a
whole
world,
as
it
is
written
in
The
Zohar.
For
this
reason,
man
consists
of
the
nations
of
the
world,
and
of
Israel.
Therefore,
the
meaning
of
“king
of
Israel”
is
that
when
a
person
takes
upon
himself
the
kingdom
of
heaven,
He
is
called
“king
of
Israel.”
In
other
words,
“Israel”
means
Yashar-El
[straight
to
the
Creator],
when
a
person
says
that
He
is
his
king.
In
other
words,
he
does
not
say
that
the
Creator
is
the
king
of
the
world
from
His
perspective,
meaning
without
the
created
beings
accepting
His
kingship
over
them
of
their
own
volition.
Rather,
“king
of
Israel”
means
that
the
person
consciously
takes
upon
himself
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven.
The
“nations
of
the
world”
means
that
He
rules
over
them
unconsciously.
That
is,
the
Creator
is
the
king
of
the
world
although
they
have
no
idea
about
faith
in
the
Creator,
and
do
not
even
want
to
think
about
the
matter
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven.
This
is
considered
that
the
Creator
is
the
king
of
the
nations
of
the
world,
meaning
rules
over
them
and
does
what
He
wants
without
their
awareness
that
He
is
doing
and
will
do
all
the
deeds.
This
is
why
when
it
says,
“king
of
Israel,”
it
refers
to
those
who
have
taken
upon
themselves
the
kingdom
of
heaven
consciously
and
willingly.
This
is
called
“king
of
Israel.”
This
is
as
it
is
written
(Avot
3:20),
“A
person
repays
consciously
and
unconsciously.”
“Consciously”
means
“king
of
Israel,”
and
“unconsciously”
means
the
nations
of
the
world,
whom
He
rules
although
a
person
is
unconscious,
and
does
not
even
give
one
thought
to
faith.
This
aspect
of
man
is
called
“the
nations
of
the
world
within
a
person.”
Accordingly,
“Thus
said
the
Lord,
King
of
Israel”
means
that
to
those
who
have
taken
upon
themselves
the
burden
of
His
kingship,
it
says,
“his
redeemer,
the
Lord
of
hosts.”
That
is,
they
feel
that
the
Creator
has
redeemed
them
from
the
nations
of
the
world,
whose
control
is
in
the
mind
and
heart.
“In
the
mind”
means
that
the
nations
of
the
world
say
that
only
what
reason
confirms
is
true,
and
they
do
not
give
a
person
permission
to
go
by
the
way
of
believing
above
reason.
“In
the
heart”
means
that
they
do
not
let
a
person
emerge
from
self-love.
Rather,
they
say
that
what
the
heart
wants
and
feels
that
it
is
for
one’s
own
sake,
these
actions
they
permit.
But
if
a
person
wants
to
work
in
order
to
bestow,
they
resist
with
all
their
might
and
a
person
cannot
emerge
from
their
control.
Instead,
the
Creator
Himself
redeems
him
from
their
governance.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
words,
“king
of
Israel
and
his
redeemer.”
That
is,
once
they
have
taken
upon
themselves
the
kingdom
of
heaven,
called
“king
of
Israel,”
they
attain
that
the
Creator
is
his
redeemer,
meaning
that
only
the
Creator
redeemed
them
from
the
control
of
the
evil,
and
they
themselves
were
powerless
to
do
so.
In
this
way,
we
should
interpret
the
words
“Lord
of
hosts.”
This
name
means,
as
Baal
HaSulam
interpreted,
that
as
he
said,
Tzevaot
[hosts]
are
two
words:
Tze
[leave/go
out]
and
Ba
[comes].
That
is,
Tzava
[army]
are
men
of
war.
These
are
people
who
go
each
day
to
fight
the
evil
inclination.
They
are
called
“army.”
Therefore,
after
they
have
been
rewarded
with
redemption,
meaning
after
they
conquer
the
evil
inclination
and
emerge
from
the
control
of
the
evil,
their
conduct
in
the
work
is
by
way
of
ascents
and
descents,
which
is
called
Tzevaot
[plural
of
Tzava
(army)].
Meaning,
at
times
they
emerge
from
their
control,
and
then
are
under
their
control
again.
Thus,
the
name
for
ascents
and
descents
is
Tzevaot.
During
the
work,
a
person
should
say,
“If
I
am
not
for
me,
who
is
for
me?”
At
that
time
in
the
work,
they
think
that
they
themselves
are
doing
the
ascents
and
descents,
that
they
are
men
of
war,
called
Tzava,
“mighty
men.”
Afterward,
when
they
are
redeemed,
they
attain
that
the
Lord
is
of
hosts
[Tzevaot],
meaning
that
the
Creator
made
all
the
ups
and
downs
they
had.
In
other
words,
even
the
descents
come
from
the
Creator.
A
person
does
not
get
so
many
ups
and
downs
for
no
reason.
Rather,
the
Creator
caused
all
those
exits.
We
can
interpret
“exit”
as
“exit
from
Kedusha
[holiness],”
and
Ba
[comes]
as
“coming
to
Kedusha.
The
Creator
does
everything.
Hence,
after
the
redemption,
the
Creator
is
called
“Lord
of
Hosts.”
And
who
is
He?
“The
king
of
Israel
and
his
redeemer.”
Accordingly,
we
should
interpret
what
is
written,
“The
deliverers
will
ascend
Mount
Zion
to
judge
the
mountain
of
Esau.”
Har
[mountain]
means
Hirhurim
[thoughts/contemplations],
which
are
thoughts
that
lead
to
the
state
of
Zion,
from
the
word
Yetziot
[exits].
Mount
Zion
means
contemplations
and
thoughts
that
bring
descents
upon
a
person,
meaning
that
he
ejects
himself
from
Kedusha.
These
thoughts—it
will
later
be
revealed—are
where
the
deliverers
ascended
from,
“to
judge
the
mountain
of
Esau.”
The
“mountain
of
Esau”
means
thoughts
and
contemplations
pertaining
to
wicked
Esau.
“To
judge”
means
to
conquer
and
subdue
the
contemplations
of
wicked
Esau.
And
what
is
the
meaning
of
“The
deliverers
will
ascend”?
Who
delivered
them
to
conquer
the
mountain
of
Esau?
It
is
Mount
Zion.
That
is,
the
thoughts
that
caused
them
to
exit
the
Kedusha,
meaning
the
descents,
are
themselves
what
helped
them
conquer
the
mountain
of
Esau.
This
is
as
it
is
written,
“From
the
blow
itself
he
makes
a
bandage.”
The
fact
that
they
had
descents,
which
is
called
“a
blow,”
since
at
that
time
he
fell
from
the
Kedusha
into
the
authority
of
the
Sitra
Achra
[other
side],
from
this
itself
came
only
good.
This
is
also
called
as
it
is
written,
“He
brings
down
to
the
netherworld,
and
He
lifts
us.”
By
seeing
that
one
is
worse
than
everyone
else,
it
makes
him
do
what
he
can,
and
not
rest
until
he
sees
that
the
Creator
took
him
out
and
delivered
him
from
the
control
of
wicked
Esau.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
words,
“The
deliverers
will
ascend
Mount
Zion
to
judge
the
mountain
of
Esau.”
It
is
written,
“And
the
kingship
will
be
the
Lord's.”
This
means
that
specifically
then,
the
kingship
will
be
the
Creator’s,
meaning
during
the
redemption,
as
it
is
written,
“The
king
of
Israel
and
his
redeemer.”
And
before
this,
is
the
kingship
not
the
Lord’s?
Who
else
governs
the
world?
We
should
interpret
that
Malchut
has
two
names:
1)
Zion,
2)
Jerusalem.
In
the
work,
we
should
say
that
Zion
is
when
she
is
still
not
revealed
in
and
of
herself.
This
is
called
Malchut
that
is
inside,
meaning
it
is
still
not
evident
to
the
creatures
that
Malchut
is
the
ruler
of
the
world,
and
there
is
no
other
force
in
the
world,
and
only
the
Creator
is
the
king.
This
discernment
is
still
hidden
from
the
creatures.
This
aspect
of
Malchut
is
called
“Zion,”
meaning
Yetziot
[exits]
from
Kedusha.
At
that
time,
a
person
thinks
that
the
Sitra
Achra
governs
him
because
he
feels
that
he
has
no
need
for
spirituality.
This
means
that
faith
in
the
greatness
of
the
Creator
is
in
concealment.
Sometimes,
he
exits
the
work
to
such
an
extent
that
he
forgets
altogether
about
the
existence
of
the
work
of
the
Creator.
This
is
regarded
as
having
fallen
from
his
state,
when
he
worked
enthusiastically
and
thought
that
from
this
day
forward
he
will
remain
permanently
in
the
holy
work.
Yet,
after
some
time,
he
suddenly
sees
that
he
has
been
completely
ejected
from
Kedusha.
That
is,
he
does
not
remember
the
zero
point,
meaning
he
cannot
recall
the
moment
he
was
ejected
from
Kedusha
and
fell
to
the
corporeal
world,
since
during
the
fall,
a
person
is
unconscious
and
remembers
nothing.
As
in
corporeality,
when
a
person
falls
from
a
high
place,
he
does
not
remember
having
fallen.
Only
when
he
comes
to,
he
sees
that
he
is
in
the
hospital.
So
it
is
in
the
work.
This
is
regarded
as
“Zion.”
That
is,
at
the
time
of
redemption,
when
he
sees
the
kingdom
of
heaven
openly,
he
attains
that
the
Creator
has
delivered
him
from
wicked
Esau.
Then
Malchut
is
called
“Jerusalem,”
whose
governance
is
revealed.
This
is
the
time
to
see
that
all
those
descents
came
from
the
king,
as
well.
That
is,
all
the
foreign
contemplations
and
thoughts
they
had,
no
other
force
was
there,
but
the
Creator
sent
them.
In
other
words,
the
Creator
sent
them
the
descents,
as
well,
so
that
through
them
they
would
need
the
help
of
the
Creator.
It
follows
that
Mount
Zion—as
was
said,
that
“The
deliverers
will
ascend
to
judge
the
mountain
of
Esau”—now
they
say
that
Mount
Zion
was
also
Malchut,
called
“Zion.”
In
other
words,
her
power
was
concealed,
and
she
helped
judge
the
mountain
of
Esau.
That
is,
they
conquered
the
quality
of
wicked
Esau,
meaning
corrected
the
quality
of
Esau,
and
now
they
attain
that
there
is
no
other
force
in
the
world.
This
is
the
meaning
of
“And
the
kingship
will
be
the
Lord’s,”
meaning
that
now
they
see
that
the
kingship
was
the
Lord’s
then,
too,
and
not
only
now,
but
before,
as
well,
since
there
is
none
else
besides
Him.
Now
that
they
have
been
redeemed,
they
attain
that
this
was
so
before,
as
well.
However,
during
the
concealment,
we
also
must
believe
that
the
Creator
does
everything.
But
this
is
above
reason.
Conversely,
now
they
attain
that
this
is
so.
However,
afterward,
they
will
need
to
come
to
the
end
of
correction,
which
is
called
“in
the
future,”
and
at
that
time,
“The
Lord
will
be
king
over
all
the
earth,”
meaning
even
over
the
nations
of
the
world.
This
means
that
the
Creator
will
be
revealed
among
the
nations
of
the
world,
as
well,
as
it
is
written,
“For
they
shall
all
know
Me,
from
the
least
of
them
unto
the
greatest
of
them.”
This
is
called,
“The
Lord
is
king
over
all
the
earth.”
That
is,
even
before
the
end
of
correction,
the
Creator
is
the
king
over
all
the
earth,
but
this
is
called
“unconsciously.”
That
is,
they
do
not
know
that
the
Creator
is
the
leader
of
the
world,
as
it
is
written
(in
the
Morning
Prayer,
in
the
Shema
de
Korbanot
section),
“Who
in
all
Your
works
in
the
upper
ones
and
in
the
lower
ones
will
tell
You
what
to
do
and
what
to
work?”
Only
He
does
everything,
and
there
is
no
other
force
in
the
world
but
Him.
However,
this
pertains
to
the
people
of
Israel,
who
believe
in
the
Creator.
With
respect
to
them,
it
can
be
said
that
the
Creator
is
the
king.
That
is,
consciously,
meaning
that
they,
too,
know
that
the
Creator
rules
over
them.
It
is
not
necessarily
that
the
Creator
Himself
knows
that
He
is
the
king,
which
is
called
“unconsciously.”
Rather,
they
took
upon
themselves
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven
as
faith
above
reason,
and
they
regard
it
as
though
it
were
within
reason.
This
is
called
“consciously,”
meaning
that
in
the
work,
“faith
above
reason”
means
we
must
believe
although
the
mind
does
not
see
that
this
is
so,
and
it
has
several
proofs
that
it
is
not
as
he
wants
to
believe.
This
is
called
“faith
above
reason,”
meaning
he
says
that
he
believes
as
though
he
sees
it
within
reason.
This
is
called
“faith
above
reason”
in
the
work.
In
other
words,
it
is
a
lot
of
work
for
a
person
to
take
this
upon
himself;
it
is
against
reason.
This
means
that
the
body
does
not
agree
to
this,
yet
he
accepts
it
nonetheless
as
though
it
were
within
reason.
Such
faith
requires
help
from
the
Creator.
For
this
reason,
for
such
faith,
a
person
needs
to
pray
that
He
will
give
him
the
power
to
be
similar
to
Him
as
though
he
had
attained
it
within
reason.
In
other
words,
a
person
should
not
pray
to
the
Creator
to
help
him
understand
everything
within
reason.
Instead,
he
should
pray
to
the
Creator
to
give
him
the
strength
to
assume
faith
above
reason
as
though
it
were
within
reason.
But
before
this,
he
must
have
faith
in
the
sages
that
such
is
the
will
of
the
Creator—that
we
will
take
upon
ourselves
faith
in
the
Creator
above
reason.
And
here,
in
this
order,
begins
the
ascents
and
descents.
Sometimes
he
grows
stronger
in
faith,
and
sometimes
he
falls
from
his
degree
and
must
believe,
while
he
is
praying
to
the
Creator,
that
He
will
help
him.
Yet,
he
does
not
see
that
he
received
the
help
he
needs.
Then,
too,
he
must
believe
above
reason
that
everything
comes
from
the
Creator,
and
at
the
same
time
say
“If
I
am
not
for
me,
who
is
for
me?”
Then
he
comes
to
the
state
of
“Mount
Zion,”
and
then
to
the
state
of
the
“mountain
of
Esau,”
for
all
the
work
at
that
time—before
we
are
rewarded
with
redemption—to
emerge
from
their
control.
At
that
time,
we
come
to
know
the
work,
as
it
is
written,
“Thus
said
the
Lord,
King
of
Israel
and
his
redeemer,
the
Lord
of
Hosts:
‘I
am
the
first,
and
I
am
the
last,
and
there
is
no
God
besides
Me,’
and
the
kingship
will
be
the
Lord’s,
and
the
Lord
will
be
king
over
all
the
earth.”
It
is
as
it
is
written,
“All
who
are
of
flesh
shall
call
in
Your
name,
to
turn
to
you
all
the
wicked
of
the
earth;
all
the
dwellers
of
the
world
will
know
and
recognize.”
That
is,
at
that
time,
everyone
will
know
that
the
Creator
is
the
king,
and
before
this,
only
the
people
of
Israel
know
that
He
is
the
king.