944. The Giving of the Torah Is with Two Eyes

“You have drawn my heart with one of your eyes.” Prior to the reception of the Torah, it was with “one of your eyes.” After the reception of the Torah, with both your eyes.

We need to understand the difference between two eyes and one. First, we need to understand what an “eye” implies. It is written, “For they will see eye to eye when the Lord returns to Zion.” This means that the eye of the created being sees the eye of the Creator, meaning Providence. This is as we explained, “A land that the eyes of the Lord are upon it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”

When a person must believe that the eye sees, etc., since when one engages in doing but has not yet been rewarded with hearing, it is considered that the Creator sees but the person sees nothing. However, when the person is rewarded with hearing, the person sees, as well, meaning he sees the revelation of Godliness, which is called “eye to eye.”

Hence, when they received the Torah, they were rewarded with hearing. At that time, it was with both eyes, the upper eye and the lower eye, as it is written, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, who crave His Hesed [mercy/kindness].” In other words, those who are rewarded with receiving the fear of the Creator in the form of doing are rewarded with the discernment of “the eye of the Creator.” That is, they see Providence with their own eyes, how He leads the world as The Good Who Does Good.

It follows that the eye of the Creator means Providence in the form of good and doing good. When one is rewarded with seeing Providence, that it is in the form of good and doing good, this is called “man’s eye.”

The order of man’s work should be regarded as “one eye,” meaning to believe in the eye of the Creator before he has been rewarded with seeing. We can do this only through fear of heaven in the form of doing. The measure of the work in doing should be in the measure of “You have drawn my heart with one of your eyes.” Once we are rewarded with hearing, it is with two eyes.

In the same manner, we should also say that “one eye” means doing, which is the quality of “right” [line], when one engages only in Hassadim and does not want to receive anything in return. The other eye is regarded as “left,” discerned as “hearing.”

The right eye is considered “learning Torah Lishma [for Her sake],” and the left eye is regarded as “The secrets of Torah are revealed to him,” which is hearing. The reception of the Torah is doing, and the giving of the Torah is with both eyes.