<- Kabbalah Library
Continue Reading ->
Kabbalah Library

Rabash

Assorted Notes
Atzilut is Private Providence The Striking of Thoughts upon Man The Meaning of Sins Becoming as Merits 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 Garments of the Soul - 1 Beginning to Speak from the Connection with the Creator Sanctification of the Month The Main Thing We Need Turn Away from Evil and Do Good – 1 TANTA [Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot] Find Favor and a Good Mind Fish Means Worries Raising the Hands Ruin by Elders—Construction; Construction by Youths—Ruin Our Faith in Books and Authors God Made It so that He Would Be Feared Questions in the Work Ani [I] and Ein [nothing/null] Turn Away from Evil and Do Good – 2 The Order of the Work The Meaning of Exile 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 Joy and Fear All Bitter Herb [Maror] Old and New Joy that Comes from Dancing Exalt the Lord Our God Knowledge and Faith It Is All Corrections Passion for Knowledge Faith Is Called “Action” The Desire to Bestow – 1 The Need and Importance of Teaching Faith Awakening – 1 Love of Others 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 The Greatness of the Creator Is His Humbleness Foundations The Association of the Quality of Judgment with Mercy Devotion Concerning Suffering – 1 The Torah Is Acquired through Suffering Two Kinds of Repentance For Your Crimes, Your Mother Was Sent Away Man’s Actions Run My Beloved 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 As He is merciful, So You Are Merciful Repentance Inner Keys and Outer Keys 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 I Have a Minor Mitzva [commandment], Whose Name Is Sukkah A Person Builds a Building Man and His Role One Who Restrains Himself in Strife The General Public and the Chosen Few The Meaning of Evil Man’s Work Happy Is the Man Mind and Heart Abraham Begot Isaac And Judah Approached Him – 1 And Behold, the Lord Stood Over Him 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 Save Your Servant, You, My God This Day, the Lord Your God Commands You The Ascent of Malchut to Bina Concerning the surrounding lights He Who Comes to Defile “Right” Means Wholeness What Is, He Swallowed Maror [bitter herb], He Will Not Come Out, in the work? Three Lines – 3 Movement Due to Shame Nourishment Laboring and Finding The Power of Thought Desire for Spirituality Cast Their Seed Among the Nations Two Labors Concerning the Goal 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 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 Inheritance of the Land Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue By Your Actions, We Know You The Generations of Jacob Joseph Who Despises the Day of Smallness Branch and Root Miketz [After] There Has Never Risen a Prophet Like Moses One Who Walks along the Way Action and Thought Tzimtzum The Measure of Overcoming Two Discernments in the Kelim Inverse Relation between Lights and Vessels Merging of the Body The Difference between the Soul and the Body Pleasure Cancels the Mind The Birth of the Moon Bo [Come] Internality and Externality The Godliness Made the Concealment The Need for Gentiles Dead Fish Turn Away from Evil and Do Good - 4 Adam HaRishon Was a Heretic 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 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 Concerning the Omer [Count] The Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of the Torah

Ramchal

Agra

Kabbalah Library Home /

Rabash / The Act Is What Decides

581. The Act Is What Decides

October 25, 1975

It is written in The Zohar, VaYera, Why at the oaks of Mamre and not elsewhere? It replies that it is because he advised him about his circumcision, since when the Creator told Abraham to circumcise himself, Abraham consulted his friends. Aner told him, “You are more than ninety; you will torment yourself.” Mamre told him, “Remember the day when the Chaldeans threw you in the furnace of fire, and that hunger that the world had undergone … and those kings whom your men chased and whom you struck, and how He saved you from them all … Arise, do as your Master commands.”

We should understand the question people ask, How can the Creator tell Abraham to circumcise himself and he goes to ask for advice whether he should obey the Creator; can this be?

We should also ask, Why is his advice more than the advice that Aner gave him? After all, both advised him. Also, according to what is explained (in Midrash Rabbah 42), Aner and Eshkol advised him not to circumcise himself, and Mamre advised him to circumcise himself, so why did he accept Mamre’s advice, since he was one against two?

We can interpret that the Creator telling him to circumcise himself pertains to his body, so it will observe the commandment of the Creator. Since man has a good inclination and an evil inclination, he must see that the body agrees to do the Mitzva [commandment].

This is considered that he went to ask his friends, meaning the good inclination and the evil inclination. Thus, when one says, “It is all mine,” and the other says, “It is all mine,” how can one decide, meaning that each one makes him think that he is right. Thus, he needed an advice as to how to defeat the evil inclination because both made him understand that from their perspective, that they were speaking to the point.

We can understand this according to what is explained, “One should always see oneself as half guilty and half innocent; if he performs one Mitzva, etc., if he performs one transgression,” etc. (Kidushin 40). Thus, if it is half and half, who can decide?

The answer is “Do!” That is, he cannot decide unless by acting, and not with the intellect. In other words, whatever he does, it later becomes revealed to the intellect whether or not it is a good deed. This is the meaning of Mamre giving him an advice about the circumcision, when he said, “Arise, do as your Master commands,” meaning act, and then you will understand that the good inclination is right, and not the evil inclination. It follows that the advice pertains to the doing.