כתיב הרים כדונג נמסו מלפני וכו'. ובפסוק שלאחריו יחד הרים ירננו. כיצד יתקיימו שני הכתובים האלה. וא"ל כי ידוע מה שאמרו רז"ל אין הרים אלא האבות. וגם אמרו רז"ל האבות הן הן המרכבה. ויש להבין האיך הוא שהאבות התחתונים יהיו מרכבה לשכינה. אך ידוע שאברהם הוא מדת אהבה שהוא מדת החסד. ויצחק מדת הירא'. ויעקב מדת תפארת המכריע. וארז"ל ג' סימנים בישראל רחמנים ביישנים גומלי חסדים שהם ג' מדות של האבות מתתא לעילא. רחמנים הוא מדת יעקב. ביישנים הוא מדת יצחק שהירא מחבירו הוא בוש ממנו. וגומלי חסדים הוא מדת אברהם חסד.
It is written,257Psalms 97:5 “The mountains melted like wax in the presence of HaShem.” A verse in the next Psalm states,258Psalms 98:8 “Let the mountains sing for joy together.” How can these two verses coexist? This can be explained as follows: As known, our sages, of blessed memory, stated,259Midrash Shemot Rabba 15:4 “The term mountains-Harim-הרים refers to the forefathers.” They also stated,260Midrash Bereishit Rabba 47:6 “The forefathers are the Divine Chariot-Merkavah.” Now, we need to understand. How is it that the forefathers, who were in the lower world, were the Divine Chariot-Merkavah? However, as known, Avraham is the quality of love, which is the attribute of kindness-Chessed, Yitzchak is the quality of fear-Yirah, which is the attribute of judgment-Din and Yaakov is the quality of mercy, which is attribute of beauty-Tiferet, that mediates between them. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,261Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 79a “There are three signs by which the Jewish people are recognizable: They are merciful, they are bashful, and they perform acts of lovingkindness.” These three qualities are the attributes of our forefathers, in ascending order. That is, the quality of mercy is the attribute of Yaakov, the quality of bashfulness is the attribute of Yitzchak, for a person who fears his fellow is embarrassed before him, and the quality of performing acts of lovingkindness is the attribute of Avraham, which is the attribute of love and kindness.
2
והנה זה לעומת זה עשה אלקים. כמו כן יש בטומאה הג' מדות הנ"ל הנקרא אבות הטומאה.
Now, it states,262Ecclesiastes 7:14 “God made everything with its opposite.” That is, just as these three qualities exist on the side of holiness, so too, they exist on the side of impurity as well. These are called, “The Fathers of Impurity-Avot HaTumah.”
3
אך ההפרש שביניהם כי בקדושה כל הג' מדות כלולים זה בזה. למשל כי האוהב את חבירו מרחם עליו וגם לפעמים שלא יוכל למלאות חפץ חבירו הוא בוש ממנו נמצא שלשתם כלולים זה בזה והם כמו אחד שכן בקדושה הוא אחדות גמור. אבל בטומאה הג' מדות הם נפרדים יתפרדו כל פועלי און שהוא אוהב אהבה זרה דבר א' וירא מדבר א' ומרחם על דבר אחד.
However, the difference between them is that in holiness, the three are inter-included with each other. For example, a person who loves his friend will also have mercy upon him and if, at times, he is unable to fulfill a commitment that he made to his friend, he will be embarrassed of him. We thus see that these qualities are all inter-included with each other on the side of holiness, in that they are as one. This is because the side of holiness is the side of absolute oneness. In contrast, on the side of impurity the three qualities are separate from each other, as it states,263Psalms 92:10 “All workers of iniquity shall be dispersed.” For example, such a person will have wrong love for one thing, be fearful of another thing, and have compassion for yet another thing.
4
וזש"ה הרים כדונג נמסו הרים של הטומאה ולכן לא נאמר יחד לפי שאין להם אחדות רק פירוד כנזכר לעיל. אבל בפרש' שני' מדבר בהרי אבות הקדושים שהם אחדות גמור יחד הרים ירננו.
Thus, the verse that states, “The mountains melted like wax in the presence of HaShem,” is referring to the mountains of impurity, and this is why the verse does not use the term “together” (as it does in the other verse), since the impure are in a state of separation and disunity, as explained above. The second verse, on the other hand, is referring to the mountains of holiness, who are our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, and are in a state of absolute unity. It thus states, “Let the mountains sing for joy together.”
5
ופירוש הפסוק יתפרדו כל וכו' רמז להנ"ל כי מדות רעות אשר באדם ח"ו נקראו פועלי און שהם המביאים לידי און עצמו שהוא עבירה ממש. והמדות הזרות שאין להם יחוד וחיבור יחד לכך אמר יתפרדו כל פועלי און הרי הם נפרדים ולא אחדות להם ולכך אמר פועלי און ולא אמר עושי און לרמוז שאף הפועלים של און אין להם אחדות:
The verse, “All workers of iniquity shall be dispersed,” hints at this, because the bad character traits that a person might have, God forbid, are called, “The workers of iniquity,” in that they bring a person to the iniquity itself, which is the actual transgression. These negative character traits are in a state of disunity and do not bond together. It is for this reason that it states, “All workers of iniquity shall be dispersed,” indicating that they are dispersed and not in a state of unity. This is likewise, why the verse states, “workers of iniquity,” rather than “doers of iniquity,” which indicates that even the character traits themselves, which are the “workers that bring about iniquity” rather than the iniquity itself, are in a state of disunity.
כתיב הרים כדונג נמסו מלפני וכו'. ובפסוק שלאחריו יחד הרים ירננו. כיצד יתקיימו שני הכתובים האלה. וא"ל כי ידוע מה שאמרו רז"ל אין הרים אלא האבות. וגם אמרו רז"ל האבות הן הן המרכבה. ויש להבין האיך הוא שהאבות התחתונים יהיו מרכבה לשכינה. אך ידוע שאברהם הוא מדת אהבה שהוא מדת החסד. ויצחק מדת הירא'. ויעקב מדת תפארת המכריע. וארז"ל ג' סימנים בישראל רחמנים ביישנים גומלי חסדים שהם ג' מדות של האבות מתתא לעילא. רחמנים הוא מדת יעקב. ביישנים הוא מדת יצחק שהירא מחבירו הוא בוש ממנו. וגומלי חסדים הוא מדת אברהם חסד.
It is written,257Psalms 97:5 “The mountains melted like wax in the presence of HaShem.” A verse in the next Psalm states,258Psalms 98:8 “Let the mountains sing for joy together.” How can these two verses coexist? This can be explained as follows: As known, our sages, of blessed memory, stated,259Midrash Shemot Rabba 15:4 “The term mountains-Harim-הרים refers to the forefathers.” They also stated,260Midrash Bereishit Rabba 47:6 “The forefathers are the Divine Chariot-Merkavah.” Now, we need to understand. How is it that the forefathers, who were in the lower world, were the Divine Chariot-Merkavah? However, as known, Avraham is the quality of love, which is the attribute of kindness-Chessed, Yitzchak is the quality of fear-Yirah, which is the attribute of judgment-Din and Yaakov is the quality of mercy, which is attribute of beauty-Tiferet, that mediates between them. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,261Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 79a “There are three signs by which the Jewish people are recognizable: They are merciful, they are bashful, and they perform acts of lovingkindness.” These three qualities are the attributes of our forefathers, in ascending order. That is, the quality of mercy is the attribute of Yaakov, the quality of bashfulness is the attribute of Yitzchak, for a person who fears his fellow is embarrassed before him, and the quality of performing acts of lovingkindness is the attribute of Avraham, which is the attribute of love and kindness.
והנה זה לעומת זה עשה אלקים. כמו כן יש בטומאה הג' מדות הנ"ל הנקרא אבות הטומאה.
Now, it states,262Ecclesiastes 7:14 “God made everything with its opposite.” That is, just as these three qualities exist on the side of holiness, so too, they exist on the side of impurity as well. These are called, “The Fathers of Impurity-Avot HaTumah.”
אך ההפרש שביניהם כי בקדושה כל הג' מדות כלולים זה בזה. למשל כי האוהב את חבירו מרחם עליו וגם לפעמים שלא יוכל למלאות חפץ חבירו הוא בוש ממנו נמצא שלשתם כלולים זה בזה והם כמו אחד שכן בקדושה הוא אחדות גמור. אבל בטומאה הג' מדות הם נפרדים יתפרדו כל פועלי און שהוא אוהב אהבה זרה דבר א' וירא מדבר א' ומרחם על דבר אחד.
However, the difference between them is that in holiness, the three are inter-included with each other. For example, a person who loves his friend will also have mercy upon him and if, at times, he is unable to fulfill a commitment that he made to his friend, he will be embarrassed of him. We thus see that these qualities are all inter-included with each other on the side of holiness, in that they are as one. This is because the side of holiness is the side of absolute oneness. In contrast, on the side of impurity the three qualities are separate from each other, as it states,263Psalms 92:10 “All workers of iniquity shall be dispersed.” For example, such a person will have wrong love for one thing, be fearful of another thing, and have compassion for yet another thing.
וזש"ה הרים כדונג נמסו הרים של הטומאה ולכן לא נאמר יחד לפי שאין להם אחדות רק פירוד כנזכר לעיל. אבל בפרש' שני' מדבר בהרי אבות הקדושים שהם אחדות גמור יחד הרים ירננו.
Thus, the verse that states, “The mountains melted like wax in the presence of HaShem,” is referring to the mountains of impurity, and this is why the verse does not use the term “together” (as it does in the other verse), since the impure are in a state of separation and disunity, as explained above. The second verse, on the other hand, is referring to the mountains of holiness, who are our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, and are in a state of absolute unity. It thus states, “Let the mountains sing for joy together.”
ופירוש הפסוק יתפרדו כל וכו' רמז להנ"ל כי מדות רעות אשר באדם ח"ו נקראו פועלי און שהם המביאים לידי און עצמו שהוא עבירה ממש. והמדות הזרות שאין להם יחוד וחיבור יחד לכך אמר יתפרדו כל פועלי און הרי הם נפרדים ולא אחדות להם ולכך אמר פועלי און ולא אמר עושי און לרמוז שאף הפועלים של און אין להם אחדות:
The verse, “All workers of iniquity shall be dispersed,” hints at this, because the bad character traits that a person might have, God forbid, are called, “The workers of iniquity,” in that they bring a person to the iniquity itself, which is the actual transgression. These negative character traits are in a state of disunity and do not bond together. It is for this reason that it states, “All workers of iniquity shall be dispersed,” indicating that they are dispersed and not in a state of unity. This is likewise, why the verse states, “workers of iniquity,” rather than “doers of iniquity,” which indicates that even the character traits themselves, which are the “workers that bring about iniquity” rather than the iniquity itself, are in a state of disunity.