Kabbalah and Parashat Mishpatim and Reincarnation

(173) Now we will speak about the nature of their contents and the nature of their aspects, so as to enlighten you with understanding about some of their depths; and we will divide them into sections. We will reveal the end of the weighty punishments of disgusting deeds, and acquire much benefit through the analyses of the sections. For perhaps you have never stood over our words, you have not properly examined the weightiness of the transgression of each part of the sections. So maybe you have never seen the sight of the weightiness of the punishment that is [found] in each one of them. And maybe you have seen its edge, but you have not seen all of it. And [with] each section that we organize, the first is worse than the second (they will be in descending order). And from our words - even from the light parts - that we will mention, you will recognize the terror of darkness, and know that their ends are the ways of death. And maybe you have not yet opened your ears, and it [appeared] like a straight path in front of you. But now that we will write about their bitterness, their fear will come into your thoughts. Also the correct teachings will come into the chambers of your spirit when you see that I will have trusted witnesses testify: intellect, verses, the words of the Sages and their wonderful riddles. And they will be for a witness and a sign, and the truth will thus be revealed to you; and a spirit of grace will pour itself upon you from above. And you will destroy the bad traits from within you, and pure things will support your heart (from the usage, “With the pure, you act in purity” [II Samuel 22:27]).

(174) And this is the thing about the group of scoffers - scoffing is divided into four sections:
And the first section is the man of the tongue that spreads the infamy of people, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 50:20), “You are busy maligning your brother, defaming the son of your mother.” And he is called a scoffer, as it is stated (Proverbs 21:24), “The proud, insolent man, scoffer is his name, acts in a frenzy of insolence.” Its explanation is that] two bad traits - which are insolence and pride - gathered and joined in the scoffing man. For without having a benefit from the thing, he causes great damage to his fellows, whose reputations he sullies in the eyes of people. And this is the goal of the scoffer, more than the thief or the extortionist - who does [it] to increase his money. And he is also arrogant - for when one who is lowly and submissive recognizes his own deficiencies and blemishes, he will not scoff at people. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Taanit 8a), “In the future, all the animals will gather together by the snake and say to him, ‘A lion mauls [its prey] and eats; a wolf tears [it] and eats; [but] you, what pleasure do you have [when you bite a person]?’ He will say to them, ‘If the snake bites because no spell was uttered, no advantage is gained by the master of the tongue!’ (Ecclesiastes 10:11).” And this section is also from the sections of the group of the slanderers.

(175) The second section: The one who mocks people because he disdains them in his heart for their lack of reaching virtues or temporal successes regarding honor or power; or he disdains them for their poverty or indigence. And it is pride that brought him to this trait; or much tranquility and pampering, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 123:4), “Long enough have we endured the scorn of the complacent, the contempt of the haughty.” And sometimes the scoffer will mock holy ones and prophets, like the matter that is stated (Jeremiah 20:7), “everyone jeers at me.” And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 14:21), “He who disdains his fellow is a sinner.” It was also stated (Proverbs 11:12), “He who disdains his fellowman is devoid of sense.” And it was stated (Proverbs 17:5), “He who mocks the poor affronts his Maker; and he who rejoices over another’s misfortune will not go unpunished.” One who mocks the poor shows about himself that he imagines that successes are in the hands of people to surely achieve them with their wisdom - like the matter that is stated (Deuteronomy 8:17), “My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.” And it is stated (Isaiah 10:13), “For he thought, ‘By the might of my hand have I wrought it, by my skill.’” And because of this, he mocks the poor; for he says in his heart that he did not reach wealth from lack of intellect and from the lowliness of his [work]. And behold he affronts the One who makes the poor and the rich, because it is all from God, may He be blessed - like the matter that is stated (Proverbs 22:2) “Rich man and poor man meet; the Lord made them both.” And about “he who rejoices over another’s misfortune,” he said, ‘He will not go unpunished” - for even though he did not injure with an action or with speech, “he will not go unpunished.” However the evil of the one that rejoices is not as great as the evil of the one who mocks. And because scoffing is caused by pride - which is the opposite of humility - King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 3:34), “If at scoffers, He scoffs; but to the lowly He shows grace.” Its explanation: “If at scoffers” - truly, God mocks scoffers who mock people, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 2:4), “He who is enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord mocks at them.” And the expression, “if,” is to confirm the matter. And so [is such a usage found] (in Numbers 24:22) “Yet if Kain be consumed”; (Proverbs 23:18) “For if you will have a future.”

(176) The third section: One who always mocks things and actions, but he does not intend to disgrace those associated with them. Rather he pushes off things that should not be pushed off and pushes off the [possibility of] results from actions that have hope for results. And about this is it stated (Proverbs 13:13), “He who disdains a thing will be injured thereby.” And they said (Avot 4:3), “Do not disdain any man, and do not discriminate against anything; for there is no man that has not his hour, and there is no thing that has not its place.” And what brought this scoffer to this bad trait is his being wise in his [own] eyes. And sometimes this trait brings a person to heresy, to mock the commandments - like the matter that is stated (Psalms 119:51), “Though the arrogant have cruelly mocked me, I have not swerved from Your teaching.” And this third section is a group that does not accept reprimand, as it is stated (Proverbs 9:8), “Do not reprimand a scoffer, for he will hate you.” And it is [also] stated (Proverbs 9:7), “To rebuke a scoffer is to call down abuse on oneself.” And it is [further] stated (Proverbs 19:25), “Beat the scoffer and the simple will become clever.” And that which causes this group not to listen to reproof is that the trait that leads to this [type of scoffing] is that a person is wise in his [own] eyes. And this trait controls him so much until he scorns the intellect of anyone besides himself. And it is a trait that has no hope, as it is stated (Proverbs 26:12), “If you see a man who thinks himself wise, there is more hope for a dullard than for him.”

(177) And the fourth section: One who always makes a habit for himself to engage in idle talk, and idle matters, like those who sit in the street corners. And there are two evils in the matter: The first is because all who proliferate words bring sin. And the second is that he is idle from [speaking] words of Torah. And the ways of death [are found] in this. For he does not remember or pay attention, that the time periods that he is wasting, he could [use] to reach pleasantness, to acquire eternal life - if he were to set these available times for Torah when he is free, for the work of the Heavens which is upon him. Therefore he will be punished to carry the yoke of afflictions - measure for measure - as it is stated (Isaiah 28:22), “Now therefore do not be scoffers, lest your suffering be made strong.” And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Avodah Zarah 18b), “Anyone who scoffs, suffering will befall him, as it is stated, ‘lest your suffering be made strong.’” And the Sages would warn their students against scoffing even occasionally and by chance. And about this section they had to warn, since many have stumbled on it in an occasional way.

(178) And this is the thing about the group of liars - the content of this group is divided into nine sections:
The first section: The lying man that left the Torah and does evil and destroys with the response of his mouth - like one who contradicts his countryman about a deposit or a transfer or the wage of a wage-worker, as it is stated (Leviticus 19:11), “you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely, a man towards his countryman.” And likewise, one who bears false witness against his neighbor; and it is said (Exodus 20:13), “you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” And included in this section is deception and fraud in commerce and in partnerships; and it is stated (Leviticus 25:14), “you shall not cheat, one man, his brother.” And it is [also] stated (Psalms 55:12), “fraud and deceit never leave its square.” And he is called a man of iniquity and a ruffian; and he is the heaviest with iniquity from the groups of the evildoers, as we have discussed in the Gates of Fear of Sin (no longer extant). And the characteristics of this man of iniquity are that he winks his eyes and rolls his fingers, as it is written (Proverbs 6:12-13), “A ruffian individual, a man of iniquity, etc. Winking his eyes, etc.”

(179) The second section: One who lies, but there is no damage or loss to his fellow from the actual lie; however he plans it in order to do the damage or the evil - like one who deceives his fellow to believe that he is his friend and trusted companion; and he plans that [the other] will trust him through this and not be on guard against him, so that he will be able to lead him to evil; like the matter that is stated (Jeremiah 9:7), “One speaks peace to his fellow, but lays an ambush for him in his heart.” And it is stated after it (Jeremiah 9:8), “‘Shall I not punish them for such deeds,’ says the Lord; ‘shall I not bring retribution on such a nation as this?’” And the punishment of these two sections is for two things: For the lie and for the damage that [comes with it]. For falsehood [even] without the angle of damage is an abomination to God, as it is stated (Proverbs 6:16-18), “Six things the Lord hates, etc: A haughty bearing; a lying tongue; etc. A mind that hatches plots of iniquity.” [And it is stated] (Proverbs 8:13), “I have hated duplicity in speech.” And it is stated (Job 15:16), “What then of one loathsome and foul, man, who drinks wrongdoing like water!” And to flesh and blood also is falsehood loathsome, as it is stated (Proverbs 12:22), “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” (It appears to me that there is a printing error here, and it is supposed to say: And it is stated [Proverbs 8:13], “I have hated duplicity in speech”; and it is stated [Proverbs 12:22], “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” And to flesh and blood also is falsehood loathsome, as it is stated [Job 15:16], “What then of one loathsome and foul, etc.” And it means to say that the understanding of the language of the verse is that a man who drinks wrongdoing like water, is essentially loathsome and foul - for he is even loathsome and foul to flesh and blood.)

(180) And the third section: One that comes with deception and deceptive words to prevent good from someone and to bring the good to himself. It is not to rob his fellow of something that is his nor to extort him. Rather he puts his eye upon a good that will be coming to his fellow in the future, and ambushes it to bring it to himself by the falsehood of his words; or his lying words cause his fellow to give it to him as a gift. And the main punishment is for the lie. Indeed, the punishment of the lie is enlarged if it causes a loss to someone besides himself, even though the main part of the punishment is not for the loss [here] - for he did not cause him to lose something that he had acquired. It is like the matter that our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 92a), “Anyone who alters [the truth in] his speech, it is as though he worships idols. As, it is stated (Genesis 27:12), ‘Maybe my father will feel me, and I shall seem to him a deceiver (metate’a)’; and it is written there (Jeremiah 10:15) [regarding idolatry], ‘They are vanity, the work of deception [tatuim].’” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said that it was as if he worshipped idolatry [here] - they brought it to the extreme and other (and it appears to me that it needs to say, to the final extreme). For he is (traded) (it needs to say, hidden - and it is from the usage of the verse [Isaiah 28:15], “We have hidden in falsehood” - and so is it found in the Chapter on Falsehood in the Paths of the Righteous, the chapters of which are built upon the pearls of this holy book Y. B.) in falsehood and girded in vanity.

(181) The fourth section: One who lies in recounting things that he heard and alters some of them on purpose, yet he does not have any benefit from his lies, nor does he cause a loss to anyone else. Rather his characterization is that [it is] from his love of falsehood over just words, forever. And sometimes he will invent a whole story of words from his heart. And the punishment of this person will be lighter from one angle, since there was no loss to [another] person from his lies and from his wantonness. But his punishment will be very big due to his brazenness and his love of falsehood. And his punishment will be weighty, for he loved it without a benefit. And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 6:19), “He breathes lies, a false witness.” Its explanation is [that] if you see a man that breathes lies in his speech and in recounting his words - know that this trait will bring him to testify falsely against his brothers and testify that which is wrong against him, from his love of falsehood. And they permitted this section in order to fulfill a commandment and to seek good and peace. And they said (Ketuvot 17a) that it is permissible to praise the bride in front of the groom and to say that she is fair and attractive, even though it is not so. And they said (Yevamot 65b) [that] it is permissible to alter [the truth] for matters of peace, as it is stated, “Your father commanded before he died, saying, ‘So you shall say to Joseph, “Please pardon, etc.”’” And there are some people that change some of the things they have heard unintentionally, as they did not place it into their hearts to analyze it when they heard it. This too is a bad trait. And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 22:28), “But one who really heard will speak forever.” Its explanation is that a man who puts into his heart to listen and audit to the essence of the words that they speak into his ears - in order that he can tell them correctly to others, and not have a treacherous tongue in his mouth - “will speak forever.” For people will love to hear his words, and they will not say, “Why are you still speaking your words?”

(1) We must still understand, since the desire to receive for oneself is so defective and corrupt, how is it possible that this desire was bonded completely with the Creator in the state called Ein-Sof. This bond was so strong, that there are no words to describe this oneness.

(2) But the idea is, that when G-d decided to create the soul, in G-d's "mind" the desire to receive has already undergone transformation into receiving in order to give, for He does not need any actions to fulfill His thoughts, and instantly all the stages that the soul would experience had already occurred. The soul was then able to receive all the goodness that G-d had in store for it, because receiving in order to give is considered pure giving, and the soul is now in similarity of form with the Creator. Because G-d is eternal, the past present and future are all occurring simultaneously, the future is also the present. G-d is above time. The corrupt desire to receive was never in Ein-Sof to effectuate a separation from G-d. Just the opposite, the future situation, the similarity of form, the last stage of tikun, (receiving in order to give) appeared instantly. This is the deeper meaning of " before the world was created, He and His name were one". Separation never occurred in the "thought of creation" in Ein-Sof. The soul was always completely bonded with the Creator because of similarity of form. This is the meaning behind "He and His name are one". (In Hebrew "desire" and "His Name" have the same numerical value 346).

(1) The soul experiences three different situations. 1. In the "thought of creation" in Ein-Sof, where the future state, the last state of tikun, already exists.

(2) 2. In the state of "6000 years" where the soul is divided into a [spiritual] body (the desire to receive) and soul (the desire to give). And through efforts in Torah and Mitzvot the person transforms himself from a desire to receive into a desire to give pleasure to his Creator, with no desires for himself (except what is necessary for his existence). In this stage, there is no transformation/tikun of the [spiritual] body (the desire to receive), the transformation/tikun is only on the soul, the desire to give, (to transform it into giving just for the sake of giving, but not for any reward). In other words, to destroy (not to use), the [spiritual] body, the desire to receive (except for what is necessary), and to remain only with the desire to give, known as the soul. At this stage even the righteous who pass away, cannot enjoy Eden only after their [spiritual] body (the desire to receive) has completely disintegrated in the earth.

(3) 3.The last state of tikun, that occurs after the resurrection of the dead. At this time even the [spiritual] body (the desire to receive) will undergo transformation/tikun, and will only be used as a vehicle for the desire to give. Two goals will be accomplished, the desire to receive will receive all the pleasure, that is in the "thought of creation", and the desire to receive will be completely bonded to the Creator due to their both having "similarity of form". They will receive not for their own pleasure, but only to give pleasure to their Creator, since He has pleasure when we receive from Him.

(4) For the sake of brevity, I will no longer explain these three stages, but will only refer to them as situation 1, situation 2 and situation 3.

(1) When you contemplate these three situations, you realize that they are all linked. If there was no third situation, where the desire to receive is transformed into the desire to give, the first situation in Ein-Sof could not be realized. Because the first situation only appeared due to the future third situation. This future third situation already appeared [because] G-d is eternal, as the present situation. And all the completeness that manifested itself in that [first] situation is but a copy from the future into the present. However, if it were possible to cancel the future [third situation], there would be no actuality to the present [first situation]. We see then, that the third situation is the cause of the first situation. Of course, if the second situation is not realized, which is the toil and effort needed to bring into fruition the third situation, meaning the toil in the decay and transformation [of the desire to receive], and the attaining of different spiritual levels, then it is obvious that there would be no third situation.

(2) Also, the first situation in Ein-Sof obligates the second and third situation. The first situation creates a necessity for the two systems "this one as well as that one" in the second situation. In this [second]situation there is the corrupt impure[spiritual] body, that will undergo transformation/tikun. If there would be no impurity, there would be no desire to receive [what G-d wants to give], and no possibility of transformation/tikun into the third situation. The question that was asked, how is it possible that impurity comes from Ein-Sof is now moot, for just the opposite, the first situation (the desire to receive) brings into reality the second situation (not using the desire to receive, but only employing the desire to give).

(1) One cannot ask: If the above is correct, then there is no free will, due to the fact that we are required to reach the third situation, because the third situation is already present in the first situation. But the matter is thus: There are two paths that G-d established in order to bring about the third situation. The first, through the fulfillment of Torah and Mitzvot. The second, through pain, that afflicts the [spiritual] body, and forces the desire to receive to become the desire to give, and to bond with G-d. As is mentioned (Sanhedrin 97b) " If you repent, good; and if not, I will set upon you a king whose decrees are as difficult as Haman, whose decrees will force you to repent".

(2) This is also the meaning of the verse " in its time I will hasten it". If they are worthy, I will hasten it, and if they aren't worthy, in its time. That is, if we merit through the first path, through Torah and Mitzvot to transform ourselves, we hasten our transformation/tikun and we don't need the prolonged harsh and bitter pain that will eventually cause us to repent. However, if we don't take the first path, then, [it will occur]"in its time". That is, the prolonged pain will bring about our transformation/tikun even against our will. Part of this pain is also the punishment of the souls in Gehenna. But either way, the third situation, the last state of transformation/tikun, must be realized, because the first situation obligates it to occur. Our choices are either the path of pain, or the path of Torah and Mitzvot.

(1) We now have an answer to our third question. We asked: When we look around, we see that humanity has many faults, there are none as disgraceful as us. However, when we contemplate the Creator that created us, humanity should be on the highest level, being that we come from an extremely praiseworthy source. A quality manufacturer should only produce quality products.

(2) But as was originally stated, the [spiritual] body with all that it has acquired, is not our true [spiritual] body. Our true [spiritual] body, our eternal body, our complete body, is already flourishing in Ein-Sof in the first situation. For it has received its final form, from the future third situation, where receiving has become giving, and is now in "similarity of form" with Ein-Sof. And although, the first situation forces the second situation, that is deficient and corrupt, consisting of receiving only for ourselves, causing a separation from Ein-Sof, however, in this [second] stage we have the ability to transform ourselves (from a receiver into a giver), enabling us to acquire an eternal [spiritual] body [which is] the third situation (receiving in order to give). We should not resent this process, for there is no other way. Our effort is with the [spiritual] body (the desire to receive) whose transformation will cause it to end and disappear. For "a person cannot fix what he doesn't have". The truth is, we already are in a complete state that is worthy of the One who created us, even in the second situation. The [spiritual] body, the desire to receive only for oneself, does not detract from our lofty state since it is slated to die and be voided. It is only temporary, until we are able to transform it to its eternal state.

(1) We can now answer our fifth question, we asked: How is it possible that from an eternal entity, emerge beings that are transient and gone? But from our previous explanation it is understood. The truth is, we are eternal, we are complete, just as He is eternal and complete. Our eternal state, definitely requires that the "shell" the [spiritual] body, that was given to us only to work [on its transformation] be culminated and gone. Had it remained indefinitely, we would be forever separated from the source of life. We had already mentioned in paragraph 13, the [spiritual] body, the desire to receive only for oneself, is not found in the "thought of creation", [in Ein-Sof]. For in Ein-Sof we are already in the third situation. However, we are obligated to go through the second situation, in order to transform it into the third situation.

(2) We shouldn't ask regarding other creatures that were created, [but] only about humans. For people are the center of creation. The rest of creation was only created to help humanity on its spiritual quest, to achieve completeness. As a consequence of this, Nature and animals, become more passive or aggressive depending on the actions of people.

(1) With the above understanding, the fourth question is now explained. We asked: Since good produces goodness, how is it possible that G-d created beings that suffer throughout their lifetimes? But as we said, all the sufferings are obligated from the first situation, the situation that came into reality (in Ein-Sof) from the future third situation, [this first situation] forces us to proceed either in the way of Torah, or the way of suffering (both are possible in the second situation) in order to achieve our eternal state in the third situation. The suffering is only upon the shell, the [spiritual] body, that was destined for death and burial. This teaches us, that the desire to receive only for oneself, was created in order to erase it, and transform it into a desire to give. The pain that we experience are only revelations that divulge the worthlessness and damage that spread from the desire to receive.

(2) If all of mankind would agree to destroy the desire for themselves, and their desire would be only for others, all the worries and hazards would be eliminated. Everyone would be assured a healthy and complete life, for each of us would have an abundance of people who would take care and make sure that all our needs are met. However, all the worries, suffering, wars and corruption, that we have no refuge from, occur because we only think about ourselves. These weaken our bodies with diseases and pain.

(3) You now realize, that all the suffering that we experience in our world, those that are featured before our eyes, appear, in order to push us into cancelling the evil "shell" that is the [spiritual] body, and to accept upon us the desire to give. As we had said, pain has the ability to bring us to the desired state. [There are two types of Mitzvot, those that are between man and God, and those between man and his fellow man].

(4) But know this, the Mitzvot between man and his fellow man take precedence over the Mitzvot between man and G-d, because giving to others, leads one to give to G-d! (The goal is between man and G-d, but the vehicle to that goal is through the Mitzvot of man-to-man. See Tractate Shabbos 31a, the story of Hillel and the convert).