Know! a candle is made from each and every mitzvah. When a person passes away, if [his] is a great soul that is very precious in God’s eyes, then they allow her to search in the King’s treasury. He is allowed to search and to take whatever he wants from the treasuries of the Blessed King. This is the ultimate pleasure of the World to Come.
In order to search one needs candles, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Searching is with candles (Pesachim 7b). They learned this from the verse, “The soul of man is the candle of God, [with which] He searches [man’s] innermost depths” (Proverbs 20:27). And the candles are made from the mitzvot, as mentioned above, in the aspect of “A mitzvah is a candle” (Proverbs 6:23). It is with these candles that, after passing away, the soul searches in the King’s treasury.
This is the aspect of “Among the dead, chaphshi (who are exempt)” (Psalms 88:6) ; because once a person dies he is exempted from the mitzvot (Shabbat 151b). ChaPhShi is the aspect of the ChiPooS (search) that is made from the mitzvot, for the mitzvot are candles by which the search is made, as explained above.
Nevertheless, there is a tzaddik who sacrifices himself [to God] during his lifetime, so that even while still alive he searches in his Father’s treasuries.
דַּע, שֶׁכָּל מִצְוָה וּמִצְוָה שֶׁעוֹשִׂין, נַעֲשֶׂה מִמֶּנָּה נֵר אֶחָד. וּכְשֶׁנִּסְתַּלֵּק הָאָדָם, אִם הִיא נְשָׁמָה גְּדוֹלָה, שֶׁהִיא יְקָרָה מְאֹד בְּעֵינֵי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, אֲזַי נוֹתְנִין לָהּ לִהְיוֹת מְחַפֵּשׂ בְּגִנְזַיָּא דְּמַלְכָּא, שֶׁיְּחַפֵּשׂ וְיִקַּח לוֹ מַה שֶּׁיִּרְצֶה מִגִּנְזֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ יִתְבָּרַךְ, וְזֶהוּ תַּכְלִית כָּל תַּעֲנוּגֵי עוֹלָם הַבָּא.
Know! a candle is made from each and every mitzvah. When a person passes away, if [his] is a great soul that is very precious in God’s eyes, then they allow her to search in the King’s treasury. He is allowed to search and to take whatever he wants from the treasuries of the Blessed King. This is the ultimate pleasure of the World to Come.
וּלְחִפּוּשׂ צְרִיכִין נֵרוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (פסחים י:), שֶׁחִפּוּשׂ בְּנֵרוֹת, וְלָמְדוּ מִפָּסוּק: נֵר ה' נִשְׁמַת אָדָם חוֹפֵשׂ כָּל חַדְרֵי בָטֶן, וְהַנֵּרוֹת נַעֲשִׂין מִן הַמִּצְווֹת כַּנַּ"ל, בִּבְחִינַת: נֵר מִצְוָה (משלי ו׳:כ״ג), וְאֵצֶל אֵלּוּ הַנֵּרוֹת מְחַפֶּשֶׂת הַנְּשָׁמָה אַחַר הַהִסְתַּלְּקוּת בְּגִנְזַיָּא דְּמַלְכָּא.
In order to search one needs candles, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Searching is with candles (Pesachim 7b). They learned this from the verse, “The soul of man is the candle of God, [with which] He searches [man’s] innermost depths” (Proverbs 20:27). And the candles are made from the mitzvot, as mentioned above, in the aspect of “A mitzvah is a candle” (Proverbs 6:23). It is with these candles that, after passing away, the soul searches in the King’s treasury.
וְזֶה בְּחִינַת: בַּמֵּתִים חָפְשִׁי – כֵּיוָן שֶׁמֵּת אָדָם נַעֲשֶׂה חָפְשִׁי מִן הַמִּצְוֹת (שבת קנא:). חָפְשִׁי, הַיְנוּ בְּחִינַת הַחִפּוּשׂ שֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה מִן הַמִּצְווֹת, כִּי הַמִּצְווֹת הֵם נֵרוֹת שֶׁעַל־יָדָם הַחִפּוּשׂ כַּנַּ"ל.
This is the aspect of “Among the dead, chaphshi (who are exempt)” (Psalms 88:6) ; because once a person dies he is exempted from the mitzvot (Shabbat 151b). ChaPhShi is the aspect of the ChiPooS (search) that is made from the mitzvot, for the mitzvot are candles by which the search is made, as explained above.
אֲבָל יֵשׁ צַדִּיק שֶׁמֵּמִית עַצְמוֹ בְּחַיָּיו, וְגַם בְּעוֹדוֹ בַּחַיִּים הוּא מְחַפֵּשׂ בְּגִנְזֵי אָבִיו:
Nevertheless, there is a tzaddik who sacrifices himself [to God] during his lifetime, so that even while still alive he searches in his Father’s treasuries.