You Have Made Me in Behind and Before

“You have made me in behind and before,” meaning the revelation and concealment of the face of the Creator. This is because indeed, “His kingdom rules over all,” and everything will return to its root because there is no place vacant of Him. But the difference is in the present or the future, because one who connects the two worlds discovers His clothing in the present, that everything that is done is a clothing for the revelation of the Shechina [Divinity].

This is deemed the present, meaning that now, too, he comes out in royal attire and evidently shows that the rider is not subordinate to the horse. But although it seemingly appears that the horse leads its rider, the truth is that the horse is provoked to any movement only by the sensation of the rider’s bridle and headstall. This is called “The construction of the stature of the Shechina,” and it is also called “face-to-face.”

But one who has not yet come to dedicate all his movements to the Creator alone, and the horse does not equalize its movements to the rider’s bridle and headstall, but appears to do the opposite… and crowns the handmaid on the mistress, this is discerned as “behind.” That is, you should not think that you are drawing away from Kedusha [holiness], for “that which comes into your mind shall not be at all.”

Thus says the Lord: “Surely with a mighty hand,” etc., “For the outcast shall not be cast out from Him,” and the whole wheel turns to come to the Kedusha, to its root. Therefore, although it seems that the horse leads the rider by its ignoble desire, the truth is not so. It is the rider who leads the horse to his destination. However, it is not apparent in the present, but in the future. Hence, in this way there is also contact, but it is back to back, meaning not according to the will of the one who dresses or the will of the dresser.

But those who do His will, meaning reveal by themselves the royal attire in the present, are connected face to face through the good will of the one who dresses and the good will of the dresser, for precisely this is His wish.

This is the meaning of “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with gladness.” You will serve Him anyhow, but the difference is that this way is “in siege and in distress,” meaning unwillingly, and the other way is by reason of the abundance of all things, meaning willingly.

It is also written in the Midrash: “The Creator gazes upon the deeds of the righteous and the deeds of the wicked, and He does not know which the Creator wants, whether their deeds, etc. When He says, ‘And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided,’ it means in the deeds of the righteous.”

This means that the Creator examines, meaning connects with all the deeds and conducts, and everything returns to its root. Hence, the question is, Which way is more desirable? In that regard, the Midrash is assisted by the verse, “And God saw the light, that it was good,” meaning disclosure, which is in the deeds of the righteous. This is our sages’ meaning in saying, “Long and short, and short and long.”

World—Concealment

This is the meaning of “In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions.” Everything is kept in the thirty-two paths of wisdom; hence, “the earth is full of Your possessions,” and no place is vacant from Him, for everything goes to its root. Now, however, it is concealed, and is therefore called Olam [world], from the word He’elem [concealment].

And the Light that hides and clothes in the world is called “a point,” considered a Yod. It is divided into the two Heys: a world of concealment and a world of revealing. And all of man’s work is to reveal this point and extend it from the world to the world in the form of Vav, meaning the Vav between the two Heys, to reveal to all the plentiful light that extends from the surrounding light to the surrounded, meaning the two Heys, as in Bina, Yesod, Malchut.

Surrender, Division, Sweetening

There are three discernments required of a man in the desirable path: surrender, division, sweetening, meaning “lights in deficient writing,”¹ since the light of this world was created out of darkness, “As the advantage of the light from within the darkness,” and “What good is a candle during the day?” its light does not shine in the daytime. This is the meaning of the Klipa [shell/peel] that precedes the fruit. For this reason, he who becomes a partner to the Creator in the work of creation brings out the light from the darkness, meaning considers how lowly and ignoble one is compared to the Kedusha [holiness] of above, and how filthy are his clothes. Through it, the light becomes surrounded.

In regard to the Creator’s question, “to fear the great and terrible name,” he intensifies with great strength to subdue the evil within him, so the evil servant and evil maid will surrender to the mistress, who dwells with them in the midst of their Tuma’a [impurity], until he feels in his soul that the awakening for externality has expired and surrendered. At that time, he will be rewarded with “division,” distinguishing between the light and the darkness, and will not replace bad for good or good for bad. And should he replace, meaning awaken to a necessary inclination, it will be dedicated to the Creator only. This is considered “sweetening,” the craving for the Creator, as in true love.

This discernment comes after he separates between good and evil, between the exaltedness of the Creator and his own ignobility. He will observe “You shall uproot the evil from within you,” for he will be very ashamed of its doers. Then he will be rewarded with sweetening the remains of his inclination, which cannot be rooted out, and will elevate them to their real root.

Remember and Keep Were Said in One Utterance

“Remember” and “Keep” were said in one utterance. What the mouth cannot say and the ear cannot hear, and the heart cannot think or contemplate, etc. We must understand why this was said in this way, and what it means to us.

It is written, “Man and beast You save, O Lord.” Our sages said, “These are people who are of cunning mind and pretend to be as beasts.” This means that the whole path of creation that the Creator created is regarded as two opposites in one subject, and all the combinations in the world were made in this way, and this is the whole of the work of creation.

The Power of Speech

However, in the work of creation, the Creator revealed only one part of this discernment, as it is written, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,” for He took fire and water and mixed them into a single subject. And the Creator imprinted the power of speech in man, so he would partner with Him in the work of creation, so he, too, would create worlds with his speech from this discernment, meaning two opposites in the same subject, for another innovation… in the world.

This is the way of the righteous, who cleave to the Creator: From all their utterances, the worlds were created according to the word of the Creator, as well as the operating force in the operated, since it had already imprinted in their mouths the twenty-two letters [of the Hebrew alphabet] by which He had created the world. What I wish to say is that they contain this Segula [power/remedy].

And the reason why the doing does not end in this world by utterances alone is because of the descents of this world in materialization. For this reason, nothing appears by speech, but only by hands and legs. However, in truth, the Creator has imprinted sufficient force in speech by which to disclose all the actions, since the force of the Operator is in the operated, and we, too, express with our mouths the same twenty-two letters.

Yet, the Klipot [shells/peels] cover and weaken that force, and the Creator wished to cleanse Israel from the Klipot, so He gave them Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] by which they draw near to his Kedusha [holiness], and the Shechina [Divinity] speaks from their mouths in purity. At that time, they perform deeds with their speech.

The Blessing of the Righteous

This is the meaning of the blessings of the righteous, who reveal by their utterances more than an ordinary person can reveal with his hands and legs. When an ordinary person wishes to do good to his friend, give him much money in his hands and make him rich. Yet, he does not know if this will last very long.

But the whole one, who wishes to do good to his friend, gives him a blessing with his mouth—some short words of richness—and the act of enrichment instantaneously appears on his friend, etc.

How is one rewarded with this? This happens through Torah and Mitzvot, meaning that by doing His will, one’s form becomes similar to one’s Maker. In truth, however, the whole issue of Torah and Mitzvot that connect to a person are also of the above-mentioned kind, meaning the two opposites in the same subject. This is the main thing that is desired, since the Creator created the world with the Torah, and the force of the Operator is in the operated. This is the essence of the knowledge, which we do not know: When these two opposites unite into a single Guf [body] in one’s mind, he becomes desirable to his Maker and is considered “a whole man.”

The End of a Matter Is Better than Its Beginning

In essence, the giving of the Torah in this lowly world is an opposite thing, for the angels erred in it. This is the meaning of “The end of a matter is better than its beginning.” Interpretation: “The end of a matter” is the bottom of the degree, meaning at the creation of the world for all to see, when it requires no scrutiny. This is what the books call “first concepts.” That is, if one does not eat, he will starve; if he touches fire, he will burn; and if he throws himself into the water, he will drown, etc. These things are understood by animals and beasts, too, since the animate mind will tell them this. This is why it is called “the end of a matter.”

“The beginning of a matter” is the mind of the Torah, which is not attained even for the speaking, meaning to all the uneducated people, except to the descendants of Jacob, the Creator’s chosen ones. In the world, good and evil are mixed. To distinguish between good and evil, the writing tells us that the primary way of the good is the “end of a matter,” meaning to behave in a way that the lowly discuss, through what is attained to all the people, but to connect the mind of the Torah to it. This is so because this is the purpose of the opposites in the world, and the whole man must connect and unite in his mind in real unity. And this is called “good,” as it is written, “The end of a matter,” if it is well connected from its start, meaning the mind of the Torah and the animate mind actually connect into one.

Two Opposites in One Subject

This is the meaning of the words of our sages, “‘Man and beast You save, O Lord,’ these are people of a cunning mind, who pretend to be as beasts.” We have explained above that these two opposites unite in them to one. Take, for example, what is written, “Without flour, there is no Torah; without Torah, there is no flour.” In the first part, it is an animate mind—a mind attained by all. In the second part, it is the mind of the Torah, since how are the provision of flour and the power of the Torah connected? But from the Torah, we understand that the Creator never removes His Providence from the world even for a moment; hence, He benefits those who heed his will and hears their prayer.

Accordingly, those who have been rewarded with their labor being in the Torah certainly do not need to work as the uneducated, since they ask of the One who truly has, and He will give them, as it is written, “Since they are followers, their Torah is preserved and their work is blessed.” The Tanna tells us, “Without flour,” etc., meaning that the desirable way is to connect them, meaning to pretend to be as a beast, to know that without flour there is no Torah and hence to try one’s hardest with what his corporeal mind teaches him to do in order to obtain flour and food for his body.

Indeed, the law of the Torah permits, for “He delights not in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord wants those who fear Him, who await His mercy.” Hence, why should He touch and strip a carcass in the market? To not need people, he prefers to engage in the Torah—to fear the Creator and to await His mercy, for “He does not want the legs of a man,” etc.

Yet, the Tanna teaches to exert with all one’s might for flour, since without it there is no Torah, and it is preferable to desecrate one Shabbat [Sabbath] in order to observe many Shabbats, etc., although you know that “Without flour, there is no Torah.” This means that the labor and exertion do not bring or yield the flour, but only the observance of Torah and fear of heaven, for “He does not want the legs of a man.” This is two opposites when they actually unite into one, in those who do as the beast and know that it is futile, and everything comes to him from the King’s table. Such a man is called “whole.”

This is the meaning of the verse, “Happy is the man who has put his trust in the Lord and did not turn to the arrogant or to those who lapse into falsehood.” He unites the two things: He trusts in the Creator, strains with all his might to provide food for his home, but knows that all his deeds and all his efforts are but arrogance and falsehood, and he puts his trust in the Creator.

It is written, “For the rod of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous.” This means that although their acts are similar, etc., why? The writing interprets, “So the righteous put not forth their hands unto iniquity,” for they completely accept the burden of the kingdom of heaven and know that He is the one who gives you strength.

The reason for it is to see how far the righteous’ faith in the Creator reaches. Although the Creator knows the thoughts, the deeds must still be clear to the righteous himself, since the nature of matter is that it does not let the righteous believe in themselves until they evidently and actually see, and they are always afraid that they will inflict sin and fall from their degree during the act.

The Quality of Jacob the Patriarch

Now we can understand what our sages said, that Jacob returned to the small tins. It is indeed a wonder that at such a time, when he saw Esau coming to kill him and to rob all that he had, he still considered staying in the place of danger by himself, to salvage the little tins. And he did not believe in his life, as it is written, “And Jacob was very fearful,” etc., “and he divided the people… into two camps.”

However, this is thoroughly explained with the above-mentioned, because the above-mentioned way—man and beast—was the quality of Jacob the Patriarch, who became a Merkava [chariot/structure] for this quality. It is as it is written in the books: Abraham the Patriarch became a Merkava for the quality of love, and Isaac the Patriarch to the quality of fear.

These two qualities are opposites, for one who loves is not afraid and always trusts his loved one, and love will cover all crimes. Conversely, one who fears does not trust, for if he trusted, he would not be afraid at all. But Jacob the Patriarch, the senior from among the Patriarchs, became a Merkava for the quality of mercy, meaning these two opposites in one subject—love and fear together—which is the essence of this quality.

This is the meaning of the verse, “And Jacob was very fearful,” etc., “and he divided the people… into two camps,” to leave himself some remains. Also, he sent him gifts, perhaps he would make peace with him.

And you see that his conduct in that regard was the same as that of a completely ordinary person, for what is the difference if a person is worried of starvation and seeks all kinds of tactics all day long to provide for his livelihood, or if he is worried that his enemy might rob him of his possessions and kill him, and does all that he can in that regard?

This was RASHI’s question: Why was Jacob the Patriarch afraid? After all, He promised him, “And I will keep you,” etc. He explained that he feared lest he would cause the sin. We should be more meticulous and say that it should have said, “lest he caused, and not lest he would cause.” This reconciles it, since indeed, Jacob the Patriarch had the complete measure of love, meaning confidence, and he had no doubt at all that the Creator would keep him and he would not lack a thing. Yet he behaved like an ordinary person and pretended to fear, as the animate mind necessitates, to find a straightforward tactic for it, that he was very fearful of the 400 men with him. By this, he was seemingly distracted from the confidence in order to truly fear. Through it, he built his guard the way those who fear an enemy do—he divided the camps and gave presents, etc.

And why did he do this if he were not really afraid, for he trusted in the Creator? It was the fear that he would cause sin, since in his humbleness, the righteous does not believe in himself, that he will not fall from his degree during the act. Therefore, he prepared every worldly means of salvation against the enemy. And after all that, he assumed in his heart that it was arrogance and falsehood, and put his trust in the Creator and prayed to the Creator.

Now we understand why he remained for the little tins, to announce that along with the fear, he had the complete measure of love, completely flawless, and he valued even little tins, for he knew full well that no enemy or foe would touch his possessions, at all.

The Difference between One who Serves the Creator and One who Does Not Serve Him

This distinguishes between one who serves the Creator and one who does not serve Him. One who is truly afraid and does not trust would not notice the little tins at a time of worry that an enemy might come and strike mothers with their children and destroy everything. But a servant of the Creator, along with the labor and effort due to the fear, knows for certain and trusts His mercy—that all is his and that no stranger will control his possessions. And even at such a time, he is able to watch over the little tins, like the righteous, who are fond of their wealth.

Hence, in the giving of the Torah, we were given the strength through “remember and keep were said in one utterance. What the mouth cannot say, and the ear hear and the heart think or contemplate.” This means that it is written that “Remember” is the love and “Keep” is the fear, which are two opposites. They were said to us and given to us as one, to unite them. Although they are really opposite, and it is incomprehensible to the corporeal mind and heart how such a thing can exist in reality, it is the power of the Torah that one who adheres to it is rewarded with it—being connected and united in his heart, as in the quality of Jacob the Patriarch.

The Klipa [shell/peel] of Ishmael and the Klipa of Esau

This is what Jacob said to his sons during the years of famine: “Why do you fear?” And RASHI interprets, “Why do you fear the children Ishmael and the children of Esau as though you are satiated?” This is perplexing: The children of Esau dwelled in Seir, and the children of Ishmael in the Paran desert, and what business did they have with them? He needed to be more concerned about the Canaanite and the Hittite, his neighbors in the land.

This is reconciled by the above-mentioned: RASHI made two interpretations: 1) Why should you appear satiated? and 2) Why should you be slimmed by famine? Now we understand that this is what Jacob had said to them: “If you eat to satiation, you should fear the children of Ishmael; and if you become gaunt from starvation, you should fear the children of Esau.” This means that it is written that Ishmael is the Sigim [dross] of silver (love) and Esau is Sigim of gold (fear).

This is what Jacob had taught his sons: If you grip to the quality of love, and trust in the Creator that His hand will not grow short even in the years of famine, you should fear the Klipa of Ishmael. And if you grip only to the quality of fear and restrict your eating, you should fear the Klipa of Esau, who nurses from that quality. Hence, best eat to satiation and unite a thing in that time with the quality of fear: Go down and buy for us food from Egypt, for by this you will be saved from both Klipot.

1. Translator’s Note: In Hebrew, words can be written with or without vowels. In the case of the word “Light,” it means writing with or without the letter Vav.↩