The Bahir 37 The Blessed Holy One took one [of these types of light] and stored it away for the righteous in the World to Come. Regarding this it is written (Psalm 31:20), “How great is the good that You have hidden away for those who fear You, that You have accomplished for those who find shelter in You…” We learn that no creature could look at the first light. It is thus written (Genesis 1:4), “And God saw the light that it was good.” It is furthermore written (Genesis 1:21) “And God saw all that He made, and behold, it was very good.” God saw all that He had made and saw shining, brilliant good. He took of that good, and included in it the 32 paths of Wisdom, giving to this world. This is the meaning of the verse (Proverbs 4:2), “I have given you a doctrine of good, My Torah, do not abandon it.” We say that this is the treasury of the Oral Torah. The Blessed Holy One said, “This Attribute is considered to be included in this world, and it is the Oral Torah. If you keep this Attribute in this world, then you will be worthy of the World to Come, which is the good stored away for the righteous.” What is it? It is the force of the Blessed Holy One. It is thus written (Habakkuk 3:4), “And the glow will be like light, [He has rays from His hand, and His hidden force is there].” The glow that was taken from the first Light will be like [our visible] light if His children keep the “Torah and Commandment that I wrote to teach them.” It is thus written (Proverbs 1:8), “Hear my son, the admonition of your father, and do not abandon the Torah of your mother.” 148. And it is written (Habakkuk 3:4), “He has rays from His hand, and His hidden force is there.” What is “His hidden force”? This is the light that was stored away and hidden, as it is written (Psalm 31:20), “[How great is the good] that You have hidden away for those who fear You, [that You have accomplished for those who find shelter in You].” What remains for us in that which “You have accomplished for those who find shelter in You.” These are the ones who find shelter in Your shadow in this world, who keep Your Torah, observe Your Commandments, and sanctify Your name, unifying it secretly and publicly. The verse thus concludes, “in the sight of the sons of man.” 149. Rabbi Rahumai said: This teaches us that Israel had light. Torah is light, as it is written (Proverbs 6:23), “For a commandment is a lamp, Torah is light, [and the way of life is the rebuke of admonition].” And we say that a lamp is a commandment, illumination (Orah) Oral Torah, and light (Or) is the written Torah. [How can we then say that the Oral Torah is light (Or)?] Because this light has already been kept, it is called light. What is this like? A room was hidden at the end of a house. Even though it is day, and there is bright light in the world, one cannot see in this room unless he brings along a lamp. The same is true of the Oral Torah. Even though it is a light, it needs the written Torah to answer its questions and explain its mysteries. 150. Rabbi Rahumai said: What is the meaning of the verse (Proverbs 6:23), “And the way of life is the rebuke of admonition”? This teaches us that when a person accustoms himself to study the Mystery of Creation and
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 01:39:25 +0000
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