Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Academy

Our sages said, “Rabbi Hanin said, ‘Why is her name Tushiya? It is because she Mateshet [wanes/exhausts] a person’s strength.’ Another interpretation: ‘Tushiya, since she was given in secret because of Satan.’” RASHI interpreted that he slanders and says, “Let it be given to the upper ones and let the tablets not be given to Moses.” “Another interpretation: Tushiya, matters of Tohu [formlessness], on which the world is based.” RASHI interpreted “Matters of Tohu, speech, and aimless reading, and any speaking without real substance, like this Tohu. And yet, the world is based on them. The acronym is Tav-Yod-Vav, Tohu, Shiyha—based” (Sanhedrin 26b).

We should ask:

1) Here he says that it exhausts a man’s strength. However, our sages said, “His head aches, let him engage in Torah; his whole body aches, let him engage in Torah, as was said, ‘a healing to all his flesh’” (Irovin 54a). So how did they say the opposite here?

2) What is the slandering of Satan, who argues that they should be given only to the upper ones and not to Moses? What flaw did he find, to the point that he had sufficient argument, and in order for him not to be able to slander, it was necessary to give the Torah secretly?

Also, if Satan is right, why indeed was the Torah given to Moses? Is there bias above? Certainly, one of them is right, and if he has some complaints, he should be given a real answer and not to give it secretly so he does not see, for this implies that there is no answer to his arguments.

3) What does it mean that the world is based on words of Tohu, and as RASHI interpreted, any speaking is insubstantial like that Tohu, so why was there a need to establish the world specifically on Tohu?

We should interpret this in ethics. Satan’s slandering is that since the Torah is something precious and very important, we must give the Torah to the upper ones, meaning someone who is at a high degree, who has a big mind and all the manners of his work are only within reason, and not to Moses, since Moses’ hands are regarded as faith, which is against reason.

But it is to the contrary: One who wants to go within reason will never attain the Torah within reason.

Just as there is a general Satan, so there is Satan in every individual. The Satan within claims that he wants to observe the Torah only in the way of the upper ones, meaning to be able to understand the ways of the Creator through the intellect, meaning within reason, and not walk in the ways of Torah, above reason, which is called “in the hands of Moses.” Hence, as long as one does not grasp the guidance of the Creator in the mind, he does not want to observe the Torah.

To this comes the answer that the Torah will be received only through the hands of Moses, and this is the intimation, Tushiya, indicating that the Torah can be received only in secrecy, which is in concealment. That is, it is concealed from the mind, and the mind does not attain it, but specifically above reason. Conversely, “in public” indicates that it is revealed to all, meaning it is revealed to the intellect that they can attain within reason.

By this we reject the argument of Satan, who claims that the Torah should be given within reason, called “the quality of the upper ones,” for it is about this that the intimation comes, that the Torah is called Tushiya, that it was given secretly and not publicly.

The matter of “Walk in concealment with the Lord” means that it should not be revealed within reason, but rather specifically with the quality of faith is there an ability to receive the Torah. This answers Satan’s complaint, and not the literal meaning that “secret” means that Satan does not see.

If Satan is an angel, how can it be said that he does not know that the Torah is given, so we can say that it was given secretly? Rather, “secretly” means not publicly, meaning that it is not revealed within reason.

Indeed, why must we receive the Torah above reason? Why should the Creator mind giving the Torah within reason?

The thing is that according to the rule that Baal HaSulam gave, we should know that every action must be in the quality of bestowal, whether in mind or in heart. Hence, it must be above reason, for then there is room to receive the Torah in order to bestow.

Only then is there the matter of work in reward and punishment, which is the matter of choice. Otherwise, there would be no room for choice. The reason for the choice is also the above-mentioned intention that by this, one can come to the degree of receiving in order to bestow.

Also, to understand what was said, “Another interpretation: Tushiya, matters of Tohu [formlessness], on which the world is based,” another interpretation does not dispute Rabbi Hanin. Rather, it interprets more, that the world, namely everything we should do in the world, which is Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], is based on Tohu, meaning on faith above reason, for there is no basis on the path of truth except in the quality of faith.

This is called “words of Tohu,” since man does not understand, so he is always in a state of Tohu. Specifically in this way is there existence to the world, meaning that specifically by this the world will achieve its completion.