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Assorted Notes
Atzilut is Private Providence The Striking of Thoughts upon Man Against Your Will – 1 If There Is a Virgin Maiden The Meaning of Sins Becoming as Merits A Gentile Who Observes the Sabbath Must Die The Correction of Lines This Is the Path of Torah – 1 A Hedge for Wisdom – Silence - 1 For He Whom the Lord Loves He Admonishes - 1 The Fear of You and the Dread of You Shall Be upon All the Animals of the Earth - 1 The Whole World Is Nourished by My Son Hanina – 1 A Hand on the Throne of the Lord – 1 Thus You Shall Say to the House of Jacob Ordinances The Numbered Things of the Tabernacle – 1 Concerning the Shechina [Divinity] The Garments of the Soul - 1 Beginning to Speak from the Connection with the Creator Concerning the Will to Receive - 1 Sanctification of the Month And You, Israel Behold, I Am Setting Before You The Main Thing We Need The Summoning for the Blessing on the Food Who Will Not Lift Up the Face Three Lines – 1 The Earth Feared and Was Still The Creator Observed Their Works Turn Away from Evil and Do Good – 1 How I Love Your Teaching Man’s Greatness Is According to His Work What Is Amalek, Whose Memory We Must Blot Out TANTA [Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot] Find Favor and a Good Mind Who Hears a Prayer Fish Means Worries The Blessing of the Torah Anyone with Whom the Spirit of the People Is Pleased – 1 Concerning Two Witnesses Raising the Hands Serve the Creator with Joy The Discernments of “Woman” and “Sons” in the Torah Ruin by Elders—Construction; Construction by Youths—Ruin Sons of Wise Disciples This Moment and the Next Moment Worse than Everyone Right, Wholeness, and Truth Our Faith in Books and Authors God Made It so that He Would Be Feared Questions in the Work A Kli [vessel] that Holds a Blessing Ani [I] and Ein [nothing/null] A Request for Help You Stand Here Today – 1 Turn Away from Evil and Do Good – 2 Woe unto You Who Await the Day of the Lord The Order of the Work The Difference between Kedusha [holiness] and Sitra Achra [other side] The Meaning of Exile The Work of the Greatest in the Nation Greeks Have Gathered Around Me The War of the Inclination What Is Handsome In the Work? Against Your Will You Live; Against Your Will You Die A Horse to Ride On A Prayer for Life and Nourishments The Degree of “Wicked” Joy and Fear All Bitter Herb [Maror] Old and New The Torah Must Be Received with Both Hands Midnight Correction Faith Above Reason Good Deeds Are Called Sons The Unification of ZON The Ruin of Kedusha [Holiness] Man Determines Nothing New Under the Sun The Meaning of “Torah Lishma [for Her sake]” From Lo Lishma to Lishma Joy that Comes from Dancing Definitions – 1 Exalt the Lord Our God Knowledge and Faith The Testimony of the Creator Upper and Lower It Is All Corrections Passion for Knowledge Suffering and Joy Faith Is Called “Action” The Desire to Bestow – 1 The Need and Importance of Teaching Faith Awakening – 1 Love of Others Colors in the Work What to Ask of the Creator—to Be His Servant Faith Within Reason How Good Are Your Tents, Jacob – 1 Man and the Torah Faith Is Regarded as Above Nature Concerning Shekalim – 1 The Greatness of the Creator Is His Humbleness Foundations The Association of the Quality of Judgment with Mercy Devotion Concerning Suffering – 1 Hochma and Hassadim Raising MAN – 1 Concerning Fear The Torah Is Acquired through Suffering Two Kinds of Repentance Three Things in the World For Your Crimes, Your Mother Was Sent Away The Meaning of Dust A Groom and a Bride Man’s Actions A Palace Run My Beloved Good Taste in Small, Corporeal Things Entry into the Work The Reason for the Faith Moses Is the Quality of Faith Am I In the Place of God? The Whole Earth Is Full of His Glory Mind and Heart Discernments in States As He is merciful, So You Are Merciful Repentance Concerning Shekalim – 2 Inner Keys and Outer Keys Anyone Who Is Settled in His Wine One Learns Only Where One’s Heart Desires One Does Not Toil Over a Meal and Misses It Anyone Who Associates the Aim for the Creator with Another Thing Specifically through a Man and a Woman I Wish They Left Me and Kept My Law Why Israel Are Compared to an Olive Tree Be Mindful with a Minor Commandment as with a Major One – 1 Be Mindful with a Minor Commandment as with a Major One – 2 Be Mindful with a Minor Commandment as with a Major One – 3 I Have a Minor Mitzva [commandment], Whose Name Is Sukkah A Person Builds a Building Turning His Ear from Hearing Torah The Creator Is Meticulous with the Righteous Man and His Role One Who Restrains Himself in Strife The General Public and the Chosen Few Delight Them with a Complete Building – 2 The Meaning of Evil You Have Not a Blade of Grass Below Discernments in a Spiritual Kli [vessel] Man’s Work Prayer Concerning Equivalence of Form Happy Is the Man A Cure before the Blow Noah Was a Righteous Man Anyone with Whom the Spirit of the Creator Is Pleased Mind and Heart The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil The Lord Appeared to Him by the Oaks of Mamre How to Draw Near Him He Who Has No Sons Abraham Begot Isaac And Isaac Was Forty Years Old And Judah Approached Him – 1 And Behold, the Lord Stood Over Him Joy While Learning Torah The Way of the Land Preceded the Torah Jacob Sent Anyone Who Sanctifies the Seventh – 2 The Lord Hears the Poor When Pharaoh Sent the People This Is the Day that the Lord Has Made Hear, O Israel The Lord Your God Was Unwilling to Listen Three Prayers - 1 Save Your Servant, You, My God Your Children, Whom You Said The Counsel of the Lord Ever Stands This Day, the Lord Your God Commands You You Stand Today - 2 The Concealed Things Belong to the Lord Our God Sins Become for Him as Merits There Is Fear Only in a Place of Wholeness What Is Joy? The Ascent of Malchut to Bina The Middle Line Concerning the surrounding lights He Who Comes to Defile “Right” Means Wholeness What It Means to Bear a Son and a Daughter in the Work What Is, He Swallowed Maror [bitter herb], He Will Not Come Out, in the work? Three Lines – 3 Movement Due to Shame You Shall Tithe a Tenth Questions about “Return O Israel” Nourishment Laboring and Finding The Power of Thought The Exile of the Shechina [Divinity] Desire for Spirituality Cast Their Seed Among the Nations General Attainment and Personal Attainment Two Labors Concerning the Goal I Will Remove the Stony Heart The Act Is What Decides Righteous and Wicked The Face of the Lord Is in Evildoers The Upper One Scrutinizes for the Purpose of the Lower One Malchut of the Upper One Becomes Keter to the Lower One Why He Waited until the War Against Amalek And Jethro Heard Those of Little Faith Remember that You Were a Slave Peace at Home Overcoming The Mitzva of Sukkah Anything that the Merciful One Does, He Does for the Best Man’s Inclination Inheritance of the Land Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue By Your Actions, We Know You The Generations of Jacob Joseph If Any Man of You Brings an Offering - 1 Who Despises the Day of Smallness Branch and Root To Admonish Another Annulment - the Baal Shem Tov Way The Quality of Moses Miketz [After] There Has Never Risen a Prophet Like Moses One Who Walks along the Way Action and Thought Tzimtzum The Journeys of the Children of Israel The Measure of Overcoming Man as a Whole Two Discernments in the Kelim Inverse Relation between Lights and Vessels Merging of the Body The Difference between the Soul and the Body It Is Good to Thank the Creator Pleasure Cancels the Mind The Birth of the Moon Bo [Come] We Will Do and We Will Hear – 2 Internality and Externality The Godliness Made the Concealment The Need for Gentiles Dead Fish Turn Away from Evil and Do Good - 4 None as Holy as the Lord The Need for a Kli without Light Three Prayers - 2 Good Writing and Signing Rosh Hashanah The Rosh Hashanah Prayer With a Shofar You Will Renew An Article for Sukkot What Is Hanukah What Is the Miracle of Hanukah The Meaning of Amalek When He Let His Hand Down, Amalek Prevailed Blotting Out Amalek Revealing the Concealment Until He Does Not Know The Meal of a Wicked One His Law He Contemplates Two Opposites I and Not a Messenger Concerning the Environment The Torah Spoke Regarding Four Sons The Need for an Act from Below The More One Speaks of the Exodus from Egypt And he said, “When You Deliver the Hebrew Women” And God Spoke to Moses And I Will Take You as My People Come unto Pharaoh Behold, a People Has Come Out of Egypt The Passover Offering Concerning the Beginning of the Month Peh-Sah [speaking mouth] The First Innovation Concerning the Exodus from Egypt The Duty to Tell the Story of the Exodus from Egypt Concerning the Matza [unleavened bread] The Time of Redemption Questions for the Exodus from Egypt Concerning the Omer [Count] The Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of the Torah The Point in the Heart The Ninth of Av

Ramchal

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Kabbalah Library Home / Rabash / Assorted Notes / Let the Earth Put Forth Grass

339. Let the Earth Put Forth Grass

Shabbat [Sabbath], October 19, 1957, Manchester

“And God said, ‘Let the earth put forth grass… a fruit-tree.’” RASHI interpreted that the taste of the tree will be as the taste of the fruit. Yet, she did not do so, but rather, “And the earth put forth… and a fruit-bearing tree,” and not the “fruit-tree.”

For this reason, when Adam was cursed for his iniquity, she, too, was included for her iniquity and was cursed, as it is written, “The ground is cursed because of you.”

The interpreters asked how it can be said that the earth did not obey the Creator. Does the earth have free choice? They also asked why the earth was not punished right away but rather together with Adam HaRishon.

We should understand this in the work. The earth implies man, as it is written in The Zohar, “The heart of the earth is people” (Beresheet 4, 61). The purpose of man’s creation was for man to engage in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] Lishma [for Her sake], as it is written, “Anyone who is called by My name, I have created for My glory.”

The Zohar interprets “My name” as “man,” as it says, “Anyone who is called by My name is man, for the Creator created him with His name, as it is written, ‘And God created the man in His image.’ He called him by His name when He brings out truth and judgment in the world, and He is called Elokim [God], as it is written, ‘You shall not curse God’” (VaYikra 104).

Lishma should be in two manners—in action and in intention. This is called “His mouth and his heart are equal.”

Sometimes, a person does something Lishma, and it is called Lishma because in the action, there is nothing to add, since even the greatest of the greatest cannot add to the action. That is, it cannot be said that one should put Tefillin also on the right hand, and so forth, as it is written, “Do not add and do not subtract.”

The main dispute among people is only on the intention, since one should try to make the intention the same as the action, and then it is called Lishma.

The Etz [tree] is man’s Atzmut [self/core], meaning the intention, and the “fruit” is the action. The Creator wanted the earth to elicit fruit trees, meaning that the flavors of the tree and the fruit will be the same.

But the earth implied (and Eretz [earth] implies mainly man) that the man who will be created will not have equal intentions and actions. It is still tolerable that the earth did not want to obey the Creator, but she elicited like the man who will be later.

It is understandable why she was not punished right away, since the man did not sin so there was nothing for which to punish her, since the punishment that the earth received also implies man, meaning man’s punishment.

Therefore, specifically after Adam HaRishon was punished, it is pertinent to punish the earth, meaning that man’s punishment will be apparent on the earth. This is why it was said, “The ground is cursed because of you,” and RASHI interpreted, emitting cursed things for you like flies, fleas, and ants, like those who go astray and people curse the breasts that nursed him.

Also, we should know that the curse is also a correction, as it is written, “The harms will not come from Him,” but it is a correction, for were it not for the curse, the man would find flavor in the fruit even though the aim is not Lishma. And had the man found sweetness even in the Lo Lishma, there would have been no need for man to exert in Lishma, since the Lo Lishma [not for Her sake] would completely satisfy him.

Conversely, after the curse, when man finds no sweetness that satisfies him in the actions, and feels as in the above-mentioned allegory, that demons are nursing off of his actions, and as it is written, “Thorn and thistle you will grow for yourself,” where one finds no flavor in the Lo Lishma, but rather “Thorn and thistle,” “And you will eat the grass of the field,” feeling the taste of grass, then there is room for man to see and exert that the actions will be Lishma, meaning that his fruit and tree will be equal.

This is the meaning of what our sages said, “Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi said that when the Creator said to the man ‘Thorn and thistle you will grow for yourself,’ His eyes teared. He said to Him, ‘Master of the world, will I and the donkey eat from the same manger?’” (Pesachim 118).

That is, man will feel the same taste in Torah and Mitzvot as a donkey, who enjoys only corporeality. “Eating” means foods from which man enjoys in which he finds flavor. As the donkey enjoys and finds flavor only in corporeal things, so man will find no flavor in Torah and Mitzvot, but only in corporeality.

He was not at ease until the Creator said to him, “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,” meaning that through man’s labor, he will be rewarded with Lishma, and then he will feel the taste of bread and not of thistle and thorn.

Before the sin, Adam HaRishon found the same flavor in his tree and his fruit, as our sages said that the taste and the fruit of the tree of knowledge were the same. In other words, even while eating the tree of knowledge, the action and intention were Lishma, since the sin was not in the first eating, but rather afterward, as our sages said about the verse, “I ate, and I will eat more” (see “Introduction to Panim Meirot uMasbirot”).

Only after the sin was the act not as the aim. But through the labor in Torah and Mitzvot, man will be rewarded with Lishma and will be rewarded with “bread.” It follows that it was not a curse, but a correction, for by this, man will achieve the desired wholeness.