We
Should
Always
Discern
between
Torah
and
Work
Article
No.
21,
1985
We
should
always
discern
between
Torah
and
work.
“Torah”
stands
in
and
of
itself.
At
that
time
we
cannot
speak
of
a
person,
but
it
is
as
though
man
is
not
there
at
all.
Instead,
we
speak
of
the
Torah
in
and
of
itself,
which
is
regarded
as
the
names
of
the
Creator,
and
we
note
its
importance,
namely
of
whom
we
speak.
That
is,
we
must
always
remember
that
we
are
speaking
of
the
King,
how
He
has
placed
order
and
guidance,
how
His
holy
names
bestow
upon
the
souls,
and
they
will
receive
them
and
be
able
to
exist
as
they
reveal
them,
as
it
is
written,
“Who
will
climb
up
the
mountain
of
the
Lord,
and
who
will
rise
in
His
holy
place?”
When
one
pays
attention
and
feels
of
whom
he
speaks,
that
he
is
speaking
of
the
Creator,
but
we
haven’t
the
understanding
so
as
to
have
some
connection
so
we
will
understand
that
we
are
speaking
of
the
Creator,
and
we
must
only
believe
that
the
whole
Torah
is
the
names
of
the
Creator.
However,
He
is
dressed
either
in
rules
and
conducts
that
one
must
keep
the
Mitzvot
between
man
and
God
or
between
man
and
man,
or
in
stories
and
tales,
or
they
are
clothed
in
the
language
of
Kabbalah
and
the
holy
names.
At
that
time
we
must
remember
that
the
internality
clothed
inside
those
dresses
is
only
Godliness.
This
is
called
“the
whole
Torah
is
the
names
of
the
Creator.”
Therefore,
when
we
learn
Torah
we
should
learn
with
manners.
That
is,
we
must
remember
of
whom
we
are
speaking,
and
in
this
way
we
can
draw
the
light
of
the
Torah
and
feel
that
“They
are
our
lives
and
the
length
of
our
days.”
Naturally,
when
learning
with
the
above
intention,
one
can
be
happy
because
he
is
attached
to
the
life
of
lives,
which
is
called
“For
they
are
our
lives
and
the
length
of
our
days.”
This
is
so
because
one
begins
to
feel
the
discernment
of
“to
do
good
to
His
creations,”
which
was
the
reason
for
the
creation
of
the
worlds.
We
must
elicit
this
good
from
the
Torah,
and
this
is
regarded
as
saying
only
the
praise
of
Torah,
and
not
thinking
at
all
of
man.
Therefore,
when
learning
Torah,
a
person
is
in
wholeness,
according
to
the
rule,
“Where
one
thinks,
there
he
is.”
One
should
receive
vitality
from
this
time
to
the
rest
of
the
day,
for
this
is
called
“A
separate
time
for
Torah,
and
a
separate
time
for
prayer,”
since
they
contradict
one
another.
Work
time
is
something
altogether
different.
Work
relates
specifically
to
man,
while
Torah
relates
specifically
to
the
Creator,
which
is
called
“the
Lord’s
Torah.”
However,
work
relates
specifically
to
man
because
man
must
work,
as
it
is
written,
“For
man
is
born
for
labor.”
Since
man
is
the
creation,
and
creation
is
deficiency,
which
his
existence
from
absence,
and
that
existence,
called
“desire
to
receive,”
must
be
satisfied,
since
this
is
the
purpose
of
creation.
And
since
there
was
a
Tzimtzum
[restriction]
on
that
desire
for
the
purpose
of
equivalence
of
form,
it
is
necessary
to
correct
and
remove
the
Tzimtzum
on
that
desire
so
it
can
achieve
the
goal
called
“His
desire
to
do
good.”
To
remove
the
Tzimtzum,
we
were
given
the
remedy
of
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments].
This
is
called,
“I
have
created
the
evil
inclination;
I
have
created
the
Torah
as
a
spice.”
And
here,
in
the
matter
of
work,
we
should
discern
that
one
is
advancing
toward
the
goal
of
removing
the
Tzimtzum,
meaning
if
there
are
already
sparks
of
bestowal,
meaning
that
he
has
already
received
something
from
the
remedy
of
the
Torah
and
Mitzvot
in
the
form
of
cleansing
the
thought
and
the
desire,
and
is
in
a
state
of
self-criticism
in
matters
of
work.
But
one
should
not
criticize
oneself
at
all
in
the
Torah.
Rather,
he
should
learn
Torah
as
is.
All
we
have
to
do
is
seek
advice
on
how
to
appreciate
the
Torah,
but
the
Torah
itself
is
a
reality
called
“the
names
of
the
Creator.”
It
follows
that
when
we
learn
some
laws
or
morals
from
the
Torah,
or
even
just
stories,
or
the
manner
of
the
work,
all
this
is
still
not
regarded
as
Torah.
We
only
learn
this
from
the
Torah,
but
the
Torah
itself
has
no
relation
to
the
creature,
only
to
the
Creator,
since
it
is
the
names
of
the
Creator.
That
is,
the
Torah
is
called
“the
revelation
of
Godliness,”
and
this
is
called
the
“internality
of
the
Torah.”
What
is
revealed
outside,
the
laws
and
morals,
and
manners
of
work,
and
stories,
these
are
all
called
“dresses
on
the
Torah.”
This
is
why
they
are
called
the
“externality
of
the
Torah.”
But
the
names
of
the
Creator
are
called
the
“internality
of
the
Torah.”
According
to
the
above
we
should
ask,
“If
the
Torah
in
and
of
itself
relates
to
the
Creator,
which
is
Godliness,
then
it
is
similar
only
to
interpretation.
What
can
one
deduce
from
learning
Torah
if
he
does
not
understand
anything
in
relation
to
himself?”
Our
sages
said
about
this:
“Great
is
the
learning
that
leads
to
action,”
for
man
certainly
needs
only
actions,
as
it
is
written,
“Which
God
has
created
to
do.”
Therefore,
“The
learning
is
not
the
most
important,
but
the
action.”
To
this
comes
the
reply:
“Great
is
the
learning
that
leads
to
action”
(Kidushin,
p
40,
and
Baba
Kama
207).
In
other
words,
the
light
of
Torah,
which
is
the
internality,
shines
for
a
person
so
he
will
have
the
strength
to
do
good
deeds.
This
is
done
by
the
power
of
Torah,
which
gives
him
the
strength
to
be
able
to
do
it,
as
it
is
written,
“Which
God
has
created
to
do.”
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
our
sages
said,
“A
separate
time
for
Torah,
and
a
separate
time
for
prayer,”
for
they
contradict
one
another.
This
is
so
because
while
learning
Torah,
one
must
think
only
about
the
importance
of
Torah,
and
not
at
all
about
himself.
But
during
the
prayer
one
must
first
of
all
have
his
deficiencies
revealed,
so
he
can
ask
that
they
will
be
fulfilled,
since
there
is
no
deficiency
if
it
is
not
looked
for.
Only
in
corporeality
are
the
deficiencies
revealed,
since
the
deficiencies
come
from
the
will
to
receive,
and
the
will
to
receive
is
revealed.
This
is
not
so
in
spirituality,
where
the
whole
structure
of
Kedusha
[holiness]
is
built
on
the
basis
of
desire
to
bestow,
and
because
we
attribute
the
desire
to
bestow
to
the
creature.
It
was
explained
that
Malchut,
called
the
“will
to
receive,”
desires
equivalence
of
form,
called
“to
bestow.”
Therefore,
when
this
matter
extends
to
the
creatures,
who
come
after
the
breaking
of
the
vessels
that
occurred,
and
also
after
the
sin
of
the
tree
of
knowledge,
then
that
deficiency,
where
one
feels
that
he
is
lacking
the
Kli
[vessel],
called
“desire
to
bestow,”
is
no
longer
present.
Instead,
one
must
exert
until
he
feels
the
lack
of
the
desire
to
bestow.
To
the
extent
that
he
feels
that
deficiency
he
can
pray
to
the
Creator
to
help
him,
to
give
him
that
Kli,
that
all
his
concerns
will
be
only
that
he
lacks
this
force
called
“desire
to
bestow.
To
the
extent
that
he
is
far
from
that
Kli
he
should
regret
and
ask
for
the
Creator’s
mercy,
that
He
will
deliver
him
and
give
him
that
desire.
Moreover,
we
can
say
that
one
should
ask
the
Creator
to
give
him
that
deficiency,
meaning
to
feel
that
he
is
devoid
of
the
desire
to
bestow,
and
that
this
is
all
that
is
stopping
him
from
achieving
spirituality,
since
that
deficiency
does
not
come
by
itself.
It
therefore
follows
that
the
Creator
should
give
man
both
the
Kli
and
the
light.
By
this
we
can
interpret
the
verse,
“You
have
fashioned
me
from
behind
and
from
before.”
“From
behind”
means
the
Kli;
“from
before”
means
the
anterior,
which
is
the
filling.
It
turns
out
that
the
light,
as
well
as
the
Kli
all
come
from
Him.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
our
sages
said
(Kidushin,
30),
“Our
sages
said,
‘Vesamtem
[and
you
shall
put]
means
Sam
Tam
[complete
potion];
the
Torah
is
as
a
potion
of
life.’”
This
is
what
the
Creator
said
to
Israel:
“My
sons,
I
have
created
the
evil
inclination;
I
have
created
for
it
the
Torah
as
a
spice.
If
you
engage
in
Torah,
you
will
not
be
given
to
its
hand.”
The
thing
is
that
the
light
in
the
Torah,
which
is
the
internality
of
the
Torah,
reforms
him.
However,
we
must
intend
to
receive
the
light
of
Torah
during
the
study,
as
is
explained
in
the
“Introduction
to
the
Study
of
the
Ten
Sefirot,”
item
17.