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Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 26 - Part 2

Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 26 - Part 2

Released Wednesday, 6th November 2024
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Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 26 - Part 2

Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 26 - Part 2

Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 26 - Part 2

Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 26 - Part 2

Wednesday, 6th November 2024
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0:00

The overview briefly

0:02

of this chapter

0:04

is that the author, the Altareb

0:06

in this letter, quotes

0:09

a teaching in the

0:11

Raya Mahemna, which is

0:13

part of Zohar. And

0:15

the teaching, among

0:18

other things, makes reference

0:20

to the fact

0:23

that there are two

0:25

kinds of Torah studies.

0:28

One is the

0:30

esoteric Kabola, like

0:33

the Zohar, and that

0:35

the Zohar

0:37

refers to euphemistically as

0:39

the Tree of Life, Eitzachayim,

0:43

and when Mashiach will come, the

0:46

primary focus of learning will

0:48

be on Eitzachayim type studies.

0:50

And then there is the

0:52

revealed Torah, the

0:55

exoteric, the

0:58

outer revealed teachings of

1:00

Torah, the legalistic teachings

1:02

of Torah, the everyday teachings

1:04

of Torah, the Mishnah, the

1:06

Halokha, the Gemorrah, and so on. This,

1:10

the Zohar, refers

1:12

to as the Eitz

1:14

Hadas Tovvara, as the

1:16

Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

1:19

So the author, the

1:21

Altareb will quote this

1:24

section of Zohar in its entirety,

1:26

and then we'll begin to analyze

1:28

it, and I'll be very brief,

1:30

and I'll tell you the question

1:32

and the answer, which goes

1:34

over many days. The question

1:36

is, how can we

1:38

even suggest that

1:40

the Zohar describes

1:42

the revealed Torah,

1:44

the everyday Torah

1:46

as a Tree of Knowledge

1:48

of Good and Evil? Torah is

1:50

all good. You can't use

1:52

the word evil for Torah. You

1:56

can't even suggest that the

1:58

Torah, that deal, with tort

2:00

cases, the Torah that deals with

2:02

purity and impurity, the Torah that

2:04

deals with kosher and un -kosher,

2:06

the Torah that deals with culpable

2:08

or not is a tree of

2:10

knowledge of good and evil. There's

2:12

evil in Torah, there is no

2:14

good morning, there is no evil

2:16

in Torah. The

2:19

answer is he's not

2:21

talking about the Torah part,

2:23

the answer is he's

2:25

talking about the subject matter

2:27

which the Torah talks

2:29

about. The Torah talks about

2:31

good and evil. Now

2:34

comes the analysis what

2:36

we understand at first glance,

2:38

I would think, Milosh

2:40

and Zahar Maimber from the

2:42

language of this quote,

2:44

at least Lachasireimada to those

2:47

who lack knowledge, it

2:49

seems to suggest Shalimud Yisir

2:51

Vaheter at the study

2:53

of the forbidden and the

2:55

permissible and Visei Dirtahar

2:57

as the study of what

2:59

is pure and what

3:01

is not, who may Ilona

3:03

de Tavera, it seems

3:05

to suggest that this comes

3:07

from quote -unquote the tree

3:09

of good and knowledge. Milvachi,

3:13

who Pela Godomach Masatzmei,

3:15

in addition to the fact

3:17

that a statement of

3:19

this kind is astonishing in

3:22

and of its own,

3:24

Viseisir Pashtehaksuvim, and seems to

3:26

conflict with the simple

3:28

interpretations of the verses. Umedroshir

3:32

Abishein Uzal certainly would conflict

3:34

with the medroshim of our

3:36

sages of blessed memory which

3:38

suggests Chakol HaTeirah, that the

3:40

entire Torah, Haniglis which is

3:42

revealed, Lonu to us, Ule

3:44

von Neyneu and to our

3:46

children, that's a quote from

3:48

the Nikro is called Eitzchayim

3:50

Lemaak Zikim Boah, that the

3:52

Torah, the entire Torah, is

3:54

a tree of life to

3:56

those who hold on to

3:58

it, including Hala ... of

4:00

purity and impurity, of forbidden

4:03

and permissible, the low, safe,

4:05

and hazzal al -Abad, not

4:07

only the Zohar. The entire

4:09

Torah is a tree of

4:11

life. How can

4:13

the Zohar allegedly suggest that

4:15

this only refers to

4:17

the esoteric teachings of Torah?

4:19

Obefrat, most especially. The

4:21

fact is, shayagunus we may

4:23

am, that the Zohar

4:25

was hidden in their days.

4:27

The Zohar was only known to

4:30

an elite few. Agam

4:32

and furthermore, kol khachmas akabola.

4:34

In general, the study of

4:37

kabola, haishanistir abimein was concealed

4:39

in their days. Whenel oman

4:41

was concealed, mikol tamideh khachamim.

4:43

From the average Torah scholar

4:45

did not know kabola, keem

4:47

likhidizgul, of the exception of

4:49

unique individuals who are quoted

4:52

in the Zohar. We

4:54

have gamzeis bahatsne lechas, and even

4:56

those were undercover,

4:58

under the radar, modestly.

5:02

Velei ber abim, not publicly. Kedisa

5:04

be gemora, ze tzezin gemora.

5:06

O kama shekosewa ha 'arizah, as

5:08

the famous rabbi Isaac Lurri, who lived

5:10

much, much later, said,

5:13

dedaf kebedeiris elu achreinim, that

5:15

in latter days, mutir,

5:18

it's permissible, and not only is it

5:21

permissible, but in this famous

5:23

teaching of the arizah, mitzwa,

5:25

it's incumbent upon us, legales,

5:27

to reveal ze sachachma, this

5:29

wisdom. Velei ber dedes

5:31

orishainim, not in the earlier generations. So

5:33

you're gonna tell me that in

5:35

the earlier generations, there was no tree

5:37

of life Torah? Legamen,

5:39

furthermore, rashbi rabshiman bar yechoy

5:41

omar. He himself says, bezor

5:44

akodesh, shaleinitin reshus legales, rak

5:46

leyul lechavet of lebadim, that

5:48

permission was not granted to

5:50

him to reveal these teachings

5:52

only to him and to his

5:55

contemporaries, special group of

5:57

people, abgamzeis, pleonizgibah, this itself

5:59

is story. to

6:01

the Fizeh. If we accept all

6:03

of this, then this leads

6:05

us to believe that lehaya limbut

6:07

is sarvaheter, that the study

6:09

of the forbidden and the permissible,

6:11

because, continue momentous. Certainly the

6:13

study of financial laws, deichen,

6:17

would not supersede mitzvah's phila,

6:19

the mitzvah prayer, shan istachna,

6:21

the mitzvah prayer was ordained,

6:23

apisaitis azayah, based upon the

6:25

esoteric teachings of the Zahra,

6:28

the yechudim lehainim and mystical

6:30

fusions on high, leyaydim

6:33

to those who know Kirash

6:35

B. B. Chavaydev, so

6:37

prayer is esoteric. Torah,

6:39

most of Torah deals with financial laws.

6:41

What happens if you're ox, gore is

6:43

my cow? What happens if you say

6:46

ayahu and I say you don't know?

6:48

Or vice versa. Beze 'ayne, this can't be,

6:50

because the study

6:52

of Torah, the revealed Torah is

6:54

paramount, kide 'isa bege mora, as it

6:56

says in gemara, de 'ab

6:59

shimon banyochay vachavaydev, rabashimon banyochay

7:01

himself, and his contemporaries vachom, ishetay

7:03

tasayum nasay, and all those

7:05

who were full -time Torah scholars,

7:07

ayin, mafsik and litphila, it says

7:09

that in their time, they

7:11

didn't even stop studying Torah, even

7:14

for prayer. So you can't

7:16

suggest that prayer is higher. Ba

7:18

'afir luqisha esik b'dinimom, and it's

7:20

even scholars who engaged only

7:22

in financial law, Kirab Yehuda,

7:24

like the famous Rabbi Yehuda, de 'a

7:26

kuli tnu ibn izikin habi. It

7:28

says that Rabbi Yehuda's 100 %

7:30

of his application in Torah was

7:32

in tort law and damage law.

7:34

Ba 'afir luqisha nebid alas, despite the

7:36

fact that he only learned financial

7:38

law, le 'hab imats, like Baba

7:40

Metsiya, Baba Kama, Baba Baster, and

7:42

so on and so forth. Le

7:45

'hab imats, le 'hab imats, le 'hab

7:47

imats, it says that Rabbi Yehuda

7:50

and his group of scholars only prayed

7:52

once a month. They

7:54

would only do the minimum prayer, put

7:56

on Talas and Sholna, say Shema, and

7:58

then so on, but they would do the whole

8:01

prayer because they would be Torah

8:03

scholars. Khadmahadar, Tomudha, as mentioned in

8:05

the Gamor, Khadissi, Bghamorabir

8:07

Shami, paid a comment to the

8:10

brachas at the test in the

8:12

Jerusalemite, Tom, with Chapter 1, Sviraleh,

8:14

Rashbe, does Rashbe, hold, I feel

8:16

the Khrish mainmab sickin, that even

8:19

they shouldn't stop Prashma, no, Prashma,

8:21

you have to. Kimimimimikro. only from

8:23

reading Vallemym Mishner, da diffimicula

8:26

rashbi, debating what part of

8:28

Toria should stop, and what

8:31

part of Toria shouldn't stop.

8:33

And nowhere, Vallechulek does he

8:36

differentiate between the first of

8:38

the six orders of the mission,

8:40

which deals with agricultural laws, or

8:42

Moaid and the second, which deals

8:44

with charitable, I'm sorry, with

8:47

seasonal laws, festivals, the Kochim

8:49

Vataris, and then the latter...

8:51

Sections which deal with sacrifices,

8:54

purity and impurity in Ezekiel,

8:56

or torque laws. Parentices

8:58

with say, Sadat's aatsim, birai,

9:00

Muhammad, Muhammad, Macaimus. This is

9:03

conflicting with what he himself

9:05

says in the Zohar. The

9:07

missionary is Shifcha. In the

9:09

Zohar, it says that mission

9:11

is at the level of

9:13

the maidservant of Bilon Zilpa,

9:16

Vamikrashutaita, Vamikrhaita, Vakrhaita, the

9:18

Khrhati, than Kabul, the Umatonista,

9:20

which is the Queen, but I

9:22

am Amnisham, the terroristship exabumalka, and

9:25

the written law is the Queen,

9:27

the Heinrich Zaidabor, the King, Hamilovish

9:29

Bizovamashkasovarizo. So again, it doesn't make

9:31

sense. The government, furthermore, pilpulakusius, with

9:33

Tirutsim, the whole debate. questions, answers,

9:36

which we said earlier, the missitre

9:38

at all, which come from the

9:40

side of negativity, because in holiness

9:42

there are no questions and answers,

9:44

they are just facts. Viruachattum, all

9:47

of this, emanates from the spirit

9:49

of impurity. Ashka Khan, we

9:51

find, be it Abshiman by Yachai, himself

9:53

engaged in questions and answers. The

9:55

Osak Beituba, he engaged in this

9:57

in abundance. Gambi, yes, a bambe,

10:00

Many years, Repshim and Bayekhoi and

10:02

Eson Rabi al -Lozor were hiding in the

10:04

cave from the Romans. And what did

10:06

they do there for 13, 14 years?

10:08

They studied Torah. What did they study?

10:10

The oral Torah, dealing with law, dealing

10:12

with financial law, dealing with dispute. The

10:15

Yad Raba, on the contrary, were

10:17

told, beshush tsara maora, in the merit

10:19

of the affliction which he experienced

10:21

in the cave, Zocholozahi merited this revelation.

10:23

If it is a big yamara,

10:26

as it says in Gamoradom al -Rippinchas

10:28

ben -Yoyer, that they were said

10:30

to Rippinchas ben -Yoyer, Akol Kusher,

10:32

that Repshim Bayekhoi had responded

10:34

to every question of Dalit Piruke.

10:36

He had 24 questions on

10:38

every one of his questions. We

10:41

are Marlayi, you've seen it before, and

10:43

he said, if I had not seen this

10:45

myself, I wouldn't

10:47

have believed it. The gam be 'emis,

10:50

au cork ha 'ikir is gein be' moro,

10:52

and obviously, we must say that their

10:54

main occupation in the cave. meaning

10:57

Repshim and Rabbalozer -e -San, Hayyot -e -Tayt -e

10:59

-San, Mishnah -e -Is, was the teaching

11:01

of Mishnah. Tof -reish -sidrei,

11:03

Shai -e -Bimeim, the

11:05

600 sections that they

11:07

were in those days, Adra -Bene -al

11:09

-Kadrish, until Rebbe came and organized

11:11

it. The illus -e -Prazeer, the

11:13

entire span of the Zohar, and

11:15

Tikun -e -Zohar, could be reviewed

11:17

thoroughly over two or three months.

11:19

He bavad -e -lay -al -madab -e -rachad -beis

11:21

-pumim, we're not talking about repeating

11:23

the same thing again and

11:25

again. G 'am -al -madab -e -senu -zal -fur -ther

11:27

-maw -arab -e -sed -mi -em -sh -chah -e -beis -am

11:29

-ig -ish -en -lay -al -akad -ish -bar -achal -a -dal

11:32

-a -mashal -a -lach -a -bavad. God dwells

11:34

in Jewish law in al -a -chah.

11:36

So from all of this,

11:38

we come to one

11:40

conclusion, that it's impossible to

11:43

interpret that quoted section

11:45

in the Zohar, the way

11:47

we interpreted that Kabbalah, that

11:49

the inner teachings of Torah are the

11:51

tree of life. The rest of Torah

11:54

that deals with the permissible and the

11:56

forbidden tort law, financial law, is the

11:58

tree of good and evil. How

12:00

could you say that the

12:02

entire Torah is the tree

12:04

of life? Even great Kabulists

12:06

spent their entire life dealing

12:08

primarily with the revealed Torah

12:10

of the permissible and the

12:12

forbidden? That is the question

12:14

that was presented following the

12:16

quote that was presented in

12:18

this rather long portion of

12:20

Tanya. End of today's portion.

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