ומזה יוכל המשכיל להמשיך עליו יראה גדולה בעסקו בתורה
From this
explanation of the lofty stature of Torah study the wise man will be able to draw upon himself a sense of great awe as he engages in the study of the Torah,
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כשיתבונן איך שנפשו ולבושיה שבמוחו ובפיו הם מיוחדים ממש בתכלית היחוד ברצון העליון ואור אין סוף ברוך הוא ממש המתגלה בהם
when he considers how his soul and its “garments” of thought and speech that are found in his brain and mouth are truly fused in perfect unity with the Divine Will and the infinite light of Ein Sof that is manifest in them i.e., in the soul and its garments when he studies Torah.
מה
שכל העולמות עליונים ותחתונים כלא חשיבי קמיה וכאין ואפס ממש, עד שאינו
מתלבש בתוכם ממש, אלא סובב כל עלמין בבחינת מקיף להחיותם עיקר חיותם, רק
איזו הארה מתלבשת בתוכם מה שיכולים לסבול שלא יתבטלו במציאות לגמרי
This infinite light manifest in one’s Torah study is of such a lofty level
that all the upper and lower worlds are truly as naught in comparison
with it; are in fact as absolutely nothing at all, so much so that they
can only bear to have a minute glow of it clothed in them without their
reverting to nothingness altogether. Their main life-force which they
receive from it, however, is not clothed within them, but animates them
from the outside, so to speak, in a transcendent, encompassing manner.
When
he considers that the very same Divine light that is completely beyond
the capacity of all the worlds manifests itself openly in his Torah
study, the thinking man will naturally experience a sense of awe when he
studies Torah.
וזהו שכתוב: ויצונו ה’ את כל החוקים האלה ליראה את ה‘ וגו’
This is the meaning of the verse,
2 “And G‑d commanded us [to fulfill] all these statutes, in order to fear G‑d.”
According to this verse, observing the mitzvot
would appear to be the first step, and this leads to the fear of G‑d.
Logically, however, the performance of G‑d’s commandments would seem to
be a result of one’s fear of Him, and not vice versa.
The Alter Rebbe therefore explains that the above verse speaks of a
higher level of awe than that which is a prerequisite for performing the
commandments. This level can only be attained as a result of one’s observance of the commandments.
Now
if the commandments lead one to a higher level in the fear of G‑d,
surely the study of the Torah leads one to a still higher level. This
the Alter Rebbe now discusses.
ועל יראה גדולה זו אמרו: אם אין חכמה אין יראה, והתורה נקראת אצלה תרעא לדרתא, כמו שכתוב במקום אחר
(Regarding this great fear our Sages said,
3 “If there is no wisdom there is no fear.”
In this context, “wisdom” represents Torah study, and “fear” — the
higher level of the awe of G‑d which can be reached only by way of the
Torah. By contrast, the statement, “If there is no fear, there is no
wisdom,” refers to the lower level of fear which is a prerequisite for
Torah study, as stated above. In relation to this level of fear, the Torah is called
4 “a gateway to the dwelling,”
i.e., the sole means of entering the dwelling, viz., the higher level of fear, as is explained elsewhere.)
אלא
דלאו כל מוחא סביל דא יראה כזו. אך גם מאן דלא סביל מוחו כלל יראה זו, לא
מינה ולא מקצתה, מפני פחיתות ערך נפשו בשרשה ומקורה במדרגות תחתונות דעשר
ספירות דעשיה, אין יראה זו מעכבת בו למעשה, כמו שכתוב לקמן
Not
every mind, however, can sustain such a fear. Yet even he whose mind
cannot bear such a fear, nor even a minute part of it, because the root
and source of his soul derives from an inferior level — the lower
gradations of the Ten
Sefirot of the World of
Asiyah, — even he should not be deterred from the actual performance of the Torah and the
mitzvot for want of this fear, as will be explained further.
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