עשר ספירות בלי מה מדתן עשר שאין להם סוף עומק ראשית ועומק אחרית עומק טוב ועומק רע עומק רום ועומק תחת עומק מזרח ועומק מערב עומק צפון ועומק דרום אדון יחיד אל מלך נאמן מושל בכולם ממעון קדשו ועד עדי עד:
Ten Sefirot-Without-What: Their measure is ten which have no end. Depth of beginning, depth of end; depth of good, depth of evil; depth of above, depth of below; depth of west, depth of east; depth of north, depth of south. The One Lord, El, Faithful King, rules over them all from the abode of [the Lord's] holiness, for ever and ever and ever.
Ten inscriptions of the void:
their measure is ten, yet they are infinite:
A depth of beginning and a depth of end
A depth of good and a depth of evil
A depth of above and a depth of below
A depth of east and a depth of west
A depth of north and a depth of south
and a singular Master -
a faithful Divine ruler -
rules over them all
from God's holy dwelling
and out to eternity.
(translation by Rabbi Jill Hammer, Return to the Place: the magic, mediation, and mystery of Sefer Yetzirah. Ben Yehuda Press, Teaneck, NJ. 2020. p. 268)
their measure is ten, yet they are infinite:
A depth of beginning and a depth of end
A depth of good and a depth of evil
A depth of above and a depth of below
A depth of east and a depth of west
A depth of north and a depth of south
and a singular Master -
a faithful Divine ruler -
rules over them all
from God's holy dwelling
and out to eternity.
(translation by Rabbi Jill Hammer, Return to the Place: the magic, mediation, and mystery of Sefer Yetzirah. Ben Yehuda Press, Teaneck, NJ. 2020. p. 268)
(א) לַכֹּ֖ל זְמָ֑ן וְעֵ֥ת לְכׇל־חֵ֖פֶץ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ {ס} (ב) עֵ֥ת לָלֶ֖דֶת וְעֵ֣ת לָמ֑וּת עֵ֣ת לָטַ֔עַת וְעֵ֖ת לַעֲק֥וֹר נָטֽוּעַ׃ (ג) עֵ֤ת לַהֲרוֹג֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִרְפּ֔וֹא עֵ֥ת לִפְר֖וֹץ וְעֵ֥ת לִבְנֽוֹת׃ (ד) עֵ֤ת לִבְכּוֹת֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂח֔וֹק עֵ֥ת סְפ֖וֹד וְעֵ֥ת רְקֽוֹד׃ (ה) עֵ֚ת לְהַשְׁלִ֣יךְ אֲבָנִ֔ים וְעֵ֖ת כְּנ֣וֹס אֲבָנִ֑ים עֵ֣ת לַחֲב֔וֹק וְעֵ֖ת לִרְחֹ֥ק מֵחַבֵּֽק׃ (ו) עֵ֤ת לְבַקֵּשׁ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לְאַבֵּ֔ד עֵ֥ת לִשְׁמ֖וֹר וְעֵ֥ת לְהַשְׁלִֽיךְ׃ (ז) עֵ֤ת לִקְר֙וֹעַ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִתְפּ֔וֹר עֵ֥ת לַחֲשׁ֖וֹת וְעֵ֥ת לְדַבֵּֽר׃ (ח) עֵ֤ת לֶֽאֱהֹב֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂנֹ֔א עֵ֥ת מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְעֵ֥ת שָׁלֽוֹם׃ {ס}
(1) A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven:aI.e., all human experiences are preordained by God; see v. 11.(2) A time for bLit. “giving birth.”being born-b and a time for dying,
A time for planting and a time for uprooting the planted;(3) A time for cEmendation yields “wrecking…repairing”; cf. 1 Kings 18.30.slaying and a time for healing,-c
A time for tearing down and a time for building up;(4) A time for weeping and a time for laughing,
A time for wailing and a time for dancing;(5) A time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
A time for embracing and a time for shunning embraces;(6) A time for seeking and a time for losing,
A time for keeping and a time for discarding;(7) A time for ripping and a time for sewing,
A time for silence and a time for speaking;(8) A time for loving and a time for hating;
A time for war and a time for peace.(9)
A time for planting and a time for uprooting the planted;(3) A time for cEmendation yields “wrecking…repairing”; cf. 1 Kings 18.30.slaying and a time for healing,-c
A time for tearing down and a time for building up;(4) A time for weeping and a time for laughing,
A time for wailing and a time for dancing;(5) A time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
A time for embracing and a time for shunning embraces;(6) A time for seeking and a time for losing,
A time for keeping and a time for discarding;(7) A time for ripping and a time for sewing,
A time for silence and a time for speaking;(8) A time for loving and a time for hating;
A time for war and a time for peace.(9)
(ב) הָאַחַת, שֶׁיִּתְבּוֹנֵן מַהוּ הַטּוֹב הָאֲמִתִּי שֶׁיִּבְחַר בּוֹ הָאָדָם, וְהָרַע הָאֲמִתִּי שֶׁיָּנוּס מִמֶּנּוּ.
(2) The first: that he contemplate what is the true good for man to choose and what is the true evil for him to flee from.
וְדָבָר זֶה הוֹדִיעוּנוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה בְּאָמְרָם (עירובין יג): נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁנִּבְרָא, וְעַכְשָׁו שֶׁנִּבְרָא יְפַשְׁפֵּשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו, וְאִיכָּא דְּאָמְרֵי יְמַשְׁמֵשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו. וְתִרְאֶה שֶׁשְּׁנֵי הַלְּשׁוֹנוֹת הֵם שְׁתֵּי אַזְהָרוֹת טוֹבוֹת וּמוֹעִילוֹת מְאֹד.
Our sages, of blessed memory, taught us this in their saying: "it would have been preferable for a person had he not been created, but now that he has been created let him examine (pishpush) his deeds; others say: let him feel out (mashmesh) his deeds" (Eruvin 13a). See how these two terms are two very good and beneficial instructions.
To bring us into context of the Talmudic discussion Ramchal is referring to:
לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁכׇּל הַמַּשְׁפִּיל עַצְמוֹ — הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַגְבִּיהוֹ, וְכׇל הַמַּגְבִּיהַּ עַצְמוֹ — הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַשְׁפִּילוֹ. כׇּל הַמְחַזֵּר עַל הַגְּדוּלָּה — גְּדוּלָּה בּוֹרַחַת מִמֶּנּוּ, וְכׇל הַבּוֹרֵחַ מִן הַגְּדוּלָּה — גְּדוּלָּה מְחַזֶּרֶת אַחֲרָיו, וְכׇל הַדּוֹחֵק אֶת הַשָּׁעָה — שָׁעָה דּוֹחַקְתּוֹ, וְכׇל הַנִּדְחֶה מִפְּנֵי שָׁעָה — שָׁעָה עוֹמֶדֶת לוֹ.
This is to teach you that anyone who humbles himself, the Holy One, Blessed be He, exalts him, and anyone who exalts himself, the Holy One, Blessed be He, humbles him. Anyone who seeks greatness, greatness flees from him, and, conversely, anyone who flees from greatness, greatness seeks him. And anyone who attempts to force the moment and expends great effort to achieve an objective precisely when he desires to do so, the moment forces him too, and he is unsuccessful. And conversely, anyone who is patient and yields to the moment, the moment stands by his side, and he will ultimately be successful.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים וּמֶחֱצָה נֶחְלְקוּ בֵּית שַׁמַּאי וּבֵית הִלֵּל. הַלָּלוּ אוֹמְרִים: נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁנִּבְרָא, וְהַלָּלוּ אוֹמְרִים: נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁנִּבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁלֹּא נִבְרָא. נִמְנוּ וְגָמְרוּ: נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁנִּבְרָא, עַכְשָׁיו שֶׁנִּבְרָא — יְפַשְׁפֵּשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו. וְאָמְרִי לַהּ: יְמַשְׁמֵשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו.
The Sages taught the following baraita: For two and a half years, Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These say: It would have been preferable had man not been created than to have been created. And those said: It is preferable for man to have been created than had he not been created. Ultimately, they were counted and concluded: It would have been preferable had man not been created than to have been created. However, now that he has been created, he should examine his actions that he has performed and seek to correct them. And some say: He should scrutinize his planned actions and evaluate whether or not and in what manner those actions should be performed, so that he will not sin.
1. מִשֵּׁשׁ
2. פִּשְׁפֵּשׁ
2. פִּשְׁפֵּשׁ
Translation here:
1. Examine
2. Scrutinize
Notice the original Heb. is much more tactile, and should be translated as:
1. To feel / touch / grope
2. To rummage
1. Examine
2. Scrutinize
Notice the original Heb. is much more tactile, and should be translated as:
1. To feel / touch / grope
2. To rummage
"Basing himself on a Talmudic wordplay that equates examining one's deeds with "feeling", Ramchal enters into the world of emotion and intuition.....It is in regard to these apparently good deeds that we begin to discern how deceptive our intellect can be and how much it can be a tool for the yetzer ha-ra. For in most of our best moments our actions area a mixture of emotional drives, the need for recognition, false self - satisfaction and greed - not to mention anger, jealousy, and lust...."
[From: Messilat Yesharim: The Path of the Upright, Introduction and commentary by Ira F. Stone. JPS, Philadelphia, 2010, p. 41]
[From: Messilat Yesharim: The Path of the Upright, Introduction and commentary by Ira F. Stone. JPS, Philadelphia, 2010, p. 41]