after which he began to speak on the following: MOREOVER THOU SHALT MAKE THE TABERNACLE WITH TEN PIECES OF TAPESTRY (Ex. 26, 1). ‘Here’, said he, ‘again we have a symbolism of the Unity, for the Tabernacle was made up of many parts, and yet it says (v. 6), “and the tabernacle shall be one”.
Now, as the human body possesses many organs, higher and lower, some internal and not visible, others through that great and terrible wilderness” (Deut. 13, 15).
There the “other side” reigned, and the children of Israel in despite of it traversed the desert forty years long, to break its power. Had they throughout that long period been worthy in heart and served the Holy One with faithfulness, the “other side” would have been wiped off the face of the earth; but they, time after time, provoked the Holy One to anger, and in like measure did the “other side” prevail, so that they became subject to its power. It might be remarked, “How came it, then, that Moses, who was the most worthy and faithful of all men, died there?” The answer would be: “Not so; the faithful Moses was not in the power of the “other side”, for he died in Abarim (lit. quarrels. Deut. 32, 49). It was so called because the celestial principalities competed in wrath for it, but it was not given over to any of them, but was left as it was till Moses came and took possession of it, and there he was buried, and the Holy One alone attended to his burial and no one else, since it is written: “And (he) buried him in a valley” (Ibid. 34, 6), without mention of a subject. Therefore Moses ruled alone over that place, and there was he buried, and in order to let all future generations know that those who died in the wilderness will rise again, He let their faithful shepherd abide among them, so that at the awakening of the resurrection in the world to come they may find themselves all together. It may be asked, If that wilderness consisted of what was left over from the power of the “other side”, why did the Holy One command that the goat of the Day of Atonement should be sent to a mountain called Azazel (Lev. 16, 8, 10, 26), and not to
פָּתַח וְאָמַר (שמותכו) וְאֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן תַּעֲשֶׂה עֶשֶׂר יְרִיעוֹת וְגוֹ', הָא הָכָא רָזָא (קל"ט ע"ב) דְּיִחוּדָא, דְּהָא תִּקּוּנָא דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא מִכַּמָּה דַּרְגִּין אִיהוּ, דִּכְתִּיב בֵּיהּ וְהָיָה הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶחָד. לְאִתְחֲזָאָה דְּכָל שַׁיְיפִין דְּגוּפָא, כֻּלְּהוּ רָזָא דְּגוּפָא חַד.
after which he began to speak on the following: MOREOVER THOU SHALT MAKE THE TABERNACLE WITH TEN PIECES OF TAPESTRY (Ex. 26, 1). ‘Here’, said he, ‘again we have a symbolism of the Unity, for the Tabernacle was made up of many parts, and yet it says (v. 6), “and the tabernacle shall be one”.
בְּבַר נָשׁ אִית בֵּיהּ כַּמָה שַׁיְיפִין עִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין, אִלֵּין פְּנִימָאִין לְגוֹ, וְאִלֵּין בְּאִתְגַּלְּיָא לְבַר, וְכֻלְּהוּ אִקְרוּן גּוּפָא חֲדָא, וְאִקְרֵי בַּר נָשׁ חַד, בְּחִבּוּרָא חֲדָא. אוּף הָכִי מַשְׁכְּנָא, כֻּלְּהוּ שַׁיְיפִין כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, וְכַד אִתְחַבְּרוּ כֹּלָּא כַּחֲדָא, כְּדֵין כְּתִיב וְהָיָה הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶחָד. (נ"א כגוונא דאדם)
Now, as the human body possesses many organs, higher and lower, some internal and not visible, others through that great and terrible wilderness” (Deut. 13, 15).
פִּקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, כֹּלָּא שַׁיְיפִין וְאֵבָרִין, בְּרָזָא דִּלְעֵילָּא. וְכַד מִתְחַבְּרִין כֻּלְּהוּ כְּחַד, כְּדֵין כֻּלְּהוּ סַלְקָן לְרָזָא חַד. רָזָא דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא, דְּאִיהוּ אֵבָרִין וְשַׁיְיפִין, כֻּלְּהוּ סַלְּקִין לְרָזָא דְּאָדָם, כְּגַוְונָא דְּפִקוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּהָא פִּקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, כֻּלְּהוּ בְּרָזָא דְּאָדָם, דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָּא, דְּכַד מִתְחַבְּרָן כַּחֲדָא, אִינּוּן חַד, רָזָא דְּאָדָם. מַאן דְּגָרַע אֲפִילּוּ פִּקּוּדָא חֲדָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, כְּאִלּוּ גָּרַע דִּיּוּקְנָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא, דְּהָא כֻּלְּהוּ שַׁיְיפִין וְאֵבָרִין בְּדִיּוּקְנָא דְּאָדָם, וּבְגִין כַּךְ כֹּלָּא סַלְּקָא בְּרָזָא דְּיִחוּדָא.
There the “other side” reigned, and the children of Israel in despite of it traversed the desert forty years long, to break its power. Had they throughout that long period been worthy in heart and served the Holy One with faithfulness, the “other side” would have been wiped off the face of the earth; but they, time after time, provoked the Holy One to anger, and in like measure did the “other side” prevail, so that they became subject to its power. It might be remarked, “How came it, then, that Moses, who was the most worthy and faithful of all men, died there?” The answer would be: “Not so; the faithful Moses was not in the power of the “other side”, for he died in Abarim (lit. quarrels. Deut. 32, 49). It was so called because the celestial principalities competed in wrath for it, but it was not given over to any of them, but was left as it was till Moses came and took possession of it, and there he was buried, and the Holy One alone attended to his burial and no one else, since it is written: “And (he) buried him in a valley” (Ibid. 34, 6), without mention of a subject. Therefore Moses ruled alone over that place, and there was he buried, and in order to let all future generations know that those who died in the wilderness will rise again, He let their faithful shepherd abide among them, so that at the awakening of the resurrection in the world to come they may find themselves all together. It may be asked, If that wilderness consisted of what was left over from the power of the “other side”, why did the Holy One command that the goat of the Day of Atonement should be sent to a mountain called Azazel (Lev. 16, 8, 10, 26), and not to
וְעַל דָּא, יִשְׂרָאֵל אִינּוּן גּוֹי אֶחָד, דִּכְתִּיב, (יחזקאל לה) וְאַתֵּן צֹאנִי צֹאן מַרְעִיתִי אָדָם אַתֶּם. וּכְתִיב (שמואל ב ז׳:כ״ג) מִי כְעַמְּךָ כְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ'.