A short summary of the conducts that bring to the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) of Divine Inspiration in our times
3
צריך שיזדכך חמשה זכוכים.
One must refine himself in five levels of refinement:
4
הראשון, ישוב מכל חטאיו הן במצות לא תעשה, הן במניעת קיום מצות עשה, הן בכל דברי סופרים, הן מכל מיני מדות מגונות, ולא ישוב עוד אליהם, ובפרט מכל חייבי כריתות ומיתות וחלול השם ובשמירת שבת ומן הנדה ומכל מיני קרי, ומן השבועה אפילו באמת, ומהסתכלות בעריות ומלשון הרע ומרכילות ומליצנות ושיחה בטלה, ויתרחק מהגאוה והכעס והקפדנות והעצבות, ויתנהג בענוה ובשפלות ויהיה שמח בחלקו:
The first is to repent of all of his sins, whether he violated commandments that are prohibitions, whether he abstained from fulfilling positive commandments, whether he violated any Rabbinic ordinances, or whether he has undesirable character traits, and he should never again return to them. He should especially repent and distance himself from all matters for which one is liable with excision (Karet) or the death penalty, and from desecrating the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. He should keep the Shabbat meticulously, distance himself from his wife during her menstrual period (Nidah) and guard himself from any manner of seminal emission.914That is, both conscious wasteful seminal emissions, or anything that may lead to unconscious nocturnal seminal emission. He should distance himself from all oaths, even if they are true, from gazing at women, from evil speech and gossip, and from frivolity and idle chatter. Moreover, he should distance himself from arrogance, anger, pedantry and melancholy, and should instead conduct himself with humility and lowliness, and be happy in his lot.
5
הזכוך השני, בקיומו כל רמ"ח מצות עשה דאורייתא ודברי סופרים, ובפרט קביעות עתים לתורה, ותפילה בכונה וברכות המזון ובכל ברכות הנהנין בכונה, ולאהוב כל אחד מישראל כבבת עינו ולכבד השבת בכל פרטיו, ובכל לילה יקום אחר חצות להתאבל על ירושלים ולעסוק בתורה, וכל מעשיו יהיו לשם שמים, באהבה:
The second refinement is in his fulfillment of all 248 positive Torah commandments, as well as the Rabbinic enactments. He should be especially scrupulous in setting times for the study of Torah, pray with devotional intent (Kavanah), and recite grace after meals and all blessings for things from which one derives benefit (Birchat HaNehenin) with devotional intent. He should love every Jew like the apple of his eye, and honor Shabbat in all its details. Every night, he should rise after midnight to mourn for Jerusalem and the Holy Temple, and engage in the study of Torah. Moreover, all his deeds should be for the sake of Heaven, with love of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He.
6
הזכוך השלישי, הוא בעת שיכין עצמו להתקדש ברוח הקודש:
The third refinement is that he should affix times to prepare and sanctify himself for the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh).
7
הרביעי הוא, בטהרת הגוף בטבילה ובגדים נקיים:
The fourth refinement is to purify his body through regular immersion in the ritual bath (Mikvah), and to wear clean garments.
8
החמישי הוא, בעת שיכין עצמו לקבל רוח הקודש אחר אשר הוטבעו בו כל מדות טובות בקנין, יכנס בבית יחידי בטבילה ובקדושה, ובמקום שלא יטרידוהו קולות בני אדם וצפצופי עופות, ואם יהיה אחר חצות הוא יותר נכון לכל הדברים, ויסגור עיניו ויפשוט מחשבתו מכל עניני העולם הזה כאלו יצאה נפשו ממנו כמת שאינו מרגיש כלל, אחר כך יתאמץ ויתחזק בחשק אמיץ להרהר בעולם העליון ולהתדבק שם בשרשי נשמתו ובאורות עליונים, וידמה בעצמו כאלו יצאה נפשו ועלתה למעלה, ויצייר עולמות העליונים כאלו עומד בהם.
The fifth refinement is that at such times that he prepares himself to receive the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh), after having engrained all the good character traits within himself, to the point that he has acquired them as his own, he should enter into solitude in a secluded house, where he will be undisturbed by the voices of other people or by the chirping of the birds, and he should do so in a state of purity and holiness, The most preferable and auspicious time for this is after midnight. He should then close his eyes and divest his thoughts of all matters of this world, as though his soul has left him, so that he is like a dead person who no longer has any feelings for this world at all. He should then strengthen himself with great yearning and desire to think about matters of the upper world, and to bring his soul to adhere to the roots of his soul and the supernal upper lights of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. He should picture it to himself as if his soul has left him and is ascending above, and he should picture the upper worlds as though he is actually present within them. If he makes a unification (Yichud), he should think about it in such a manner, that through it, he draws down Godly light and influence to all the worlds, and he should have in mind that he too should receive his portion of it, lastly. He should seclude himself in thought, as though the spirit has somewhat rested upon him.
9
ואם עשה איזה יחוד יהרהר בו להמשיך בזה אור ושפע בכל העולמות, ויכוין לקבל גם הוא חלקו באחרונה, ויתבודד במחשבה כאלו נחה עליו הרוח עד שעור מה. ואם לא ירגיש מאומה נראה כי עדין איננו ראוי ומוכן, ולכן יתחזק עוד מאז ואילך בעבודה ובקדושה ויחזור אחר ימים להתבודד על דרך הנזכר עד אשר יזכה ותנוח עליו הרוח:
If he took all these measures, following this path, but did not come to any feeling, this indicates that he is not yet fully fitting and prepared for it. He therefore should continue to strengthen himself from that point forward to an even greater degree, both in his service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, as well as in his sanctity, and then after a period of time, he should again return to seclude himself as before, until he merits that the spirit rests upon him.
10
וכאשר תחול עליו צריך שיבחין אולי עדין איננו זך ונקי, והרוח הזה הוא סטרא אחרא, או על הפחות תערובות רע בטוב, ומעשה בן עזאי ובן זומא (חגיגה דף י"ד ע"ב) בעלותם לפרד"ס יוכיח, וזה יבחן על ידי מה שנגלה אליו, אם כל דבריו אמת או שקר ואמת מעורבין או אם דבריו בדברים בטלים של הבלי העולם הזה, או בדברים שאינן על פי התורה וכיוצא בזה, כי אז צריך לדחותו מעליו, וגם להתחזק יותר ויותר בעבודה עד יהיו כל דבריו נאמנים וביראת שמים וכו':
Now, when it indeed rests upon him, he must be very discerning to determine whether indeed is a refined and pure spirit, or whether he has been visited by spirit from the opposite of goodness (Sitra Achara), or at the very least, whether there is an admixture of good and evil in it. The incident that happened when Ben Azai and Ben Zoma ascended to the Pardes915Talmud Bavli, Chagigah 14b – Ben Azai glimpsed and died, and Ben Zoma was harmed, in that he lost his mind. attests to this. This may be determined based on what is revealed to him, whether all the words of the spirit are true, or whether there is an intermingling of truth and false in his words, whether his words are idle matters relating to the vanities of this world, or whether his words are not in accordance to Torah and the like. In such cases, he must push off the spirit from upon himself, and strengthen himself even more in his service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, until all his words are true and faithful and he has true fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He.
11
ודע כי בתחלה תחול עליו הרוח במקרה לעתים רחוקות, וגם שיהיו דברים נקלים ולא בדברים עמוקים וגם שדבריו יהיו מעטים, וכל אשר ילך יתחזק כוחו בכל הפרטים הנזכרים. והנה כלל הכל הוא זכוך החומר עד קצה האחרון, ועקירת הרהורי המחשבה וכח המדמה שבו לגמרי, ויתדבק בעליונים בתכלית הדבוק. והנה צריך שתתבונן בכל מה שכתבנו בחלק ראשון בשער הששי כי שם נתבאר סדר הנהגת החסידות יותר בבאור:
Know, that initially, the spirit will rest upon him in a way that seems like happenstance and only on rare occasions. Moreover, the words of the spirit will initially be on simple matters that are not very deep. Furthermore, his words will be few. However, the more one continues in this way, the more he will be strengthened in all of the above-mentioned matters. Moreover, know that it is a critically important general principle to refine the materiality of his body to the utmost degree. The same applies to uprooting all alien thoughts and ruminations from his mind, as well as completely uprooting the power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) from himself.916That is, rather than seeking delusions and vain imaginations of the lowly world, he should instead immerse his mind in the Godly intellect of the “completely pure Torah of HaShem-יהו״ה” (Psalms 19:8) and study and contemplate the Supernal wisdom of His Throne of Glory – the chaining down of the worlds (Seder HaHishtalshelut) – in a way of detail, depth, and understanding. He should gaze upon the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed is He, from the very first and most ethereal spiritual form, until the lowest being of the depths of the earth. Through doing so he will come to realize and know the greatness of the Singular Preexistent Intrinsic and Essential Being of HaShem-יהו״ה Himself, blessed is He. Then the Holy Spirit will automatically and immediately dwell upon him. (See Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 2:2 & 7:1; Hilchot Teshuvah 10:6.) He should rather focus his mind on matters of the upper worlds with the utmost adhesion (Dveikut). It is also necessary to contemplate everything that was written in the sixth gate of Part One, for there the order of how to conduct oneself in a way of piety (Chassidut) was more fully explained.
השער השמיני:
Gate Eight
לבאר הנהגת הבא להתקדש בזמננו בדרך קצרה מאד:
A short summary of the conducts that bring to the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) of Divine Inspiration in our times
צריך שיזדכך חמשה זכוכים.
One must refine himself in five levels of refinement:
הראשון, ישוב מכל חטאיו הן במצות לא תעשה, הן במניעת קיום מצות עשה, הן בכל דברי סופרים, הן מכל מיני מדות מגונות, ולא ישוב עוד אליהם, ובפרט מכל חייבי כריתות ומיתות וחלול השם ובשמירת שבת ומן הנדה ומכל מיני קרי, ומן השבועה אפילו באמת, ומהסתכלות בעריות ומלשון הרע ומרכילות ומליצנות ושיחה בטלה, ויתרחק מהגאוה והכעס והקפדנות והעצבות, ויתנהג בענוה ובשפלות ויהיה שמח בחלקו:
The first is to repent of all of his sins, whether he violated commandments that are prohibitions, whether he abstained from fulfilling positive commandments, whether he violated any Rabbinic ordinances, or whether he has undesirable character traits, and he should never again return to them. He should especially repent and distance himself from all matters for which one is liable with excision (Karet) or the death penalty, and from desecrating the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. He should keep the Shabbat meticulously, distance himself from his wife during her menstrual period (Nidah) and guard himself from any manner of seminal emission.914That is, both conscious wasteful seminal emissions, or anything that may lead to unconscious nocturnal seminal emission. He should distance himself from all oaths, even if they are true, from gazing at women, from evil speech and gossip, and from frivolity and idle chatter. Moreover, he should distance himself from arrogance, anger, pedantry and melancholy, and should instead conduct himself with humility and lowliness, and be happy in his lot.
הזכוך השני, בקיומו כל רמ"ח מצות עשה דאורייתא ודברי סופרים, ובפרט קביעות עתים לתורה, ותפילה בכונה וברכות המזון ובכל ברכות הנהנין בכונה, ולאהוב כל אחד מישראל כבבת עינו ולכבד השבת בכל פרטיו, ובכל לילה יקום אחר חצות להתאבל על ירושלים ולעסוק בתורה, וכל מעשיו יהיו לשם שמים, באהבה:
The second refinement is in his fulfillment of all 248 positive Torah commandments, as well as the Rabbinic enactments. He should be especially scrupulous in setting times for the study of Torah, pray with devotional intent (Kavanah), and recite grace after meals and all blessings for things from which one derives benefit (Birchat HaNehenin) with devotional intent. He should love every Jew like the apple of his eye, and honor Shabbat in all its details. Every night, he should rise after midnight to mourn for Jerusalem and the Holy Temple, and engage in the study of Torah. Moreover, all his deeds should be for the sake of Heaven, with love of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He.
הזכוך השלישי, הוא בעת שיכין עצמו להתקדש ברוח הקודש:
The third refinement is that he should affix times to prepare and sanctify himself for the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh).
הרביעי הוא, בטהרת הגוף בטבילה ובגדים נקיים:
The fourth refinement is to purify his body through regular immersion in the ritual bath (Mikvah), and to wear clean garments.
החמישי הוא, בעת שיכין עצמו לקבל רוח הקודש אחר אשר הוטבעו בו כל מדות טובות בקנין, יכנס בבית יחידי בטבילה ובקדושה, ובמקום שלא יטרידוהו קולות בני אדם וצפצופי עופות, ואם יהיה אחר חצות הוא יותר נכון לכל הדברים, ויסגור עיניו ויפשוט מחשבתו מכל עניני העולם הזה כאלו יצאה נפשו ממנו כמת שאינו מרגיש כלל, אחר כך יתאמץ ויתחזק בחשק אמיץ להרהר בעולם העליון ולהתדבק שם בשרשי נשמתו ובאורות עליונים, וידמה בעצמו כאלו יצאה נפשו ועלתה למעלה, ויצייר עולמות העליונים כאלו עומד בהם.
The fifth refinement is that at such times that he prepares himself to receive the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh), after having engrained all the good character traits within himself, to the point that he has acquired them as his own, he should enter into solitude in a secluded house, where he will be undisturbed by the voices of other people or by the chirping of the birds, and he should do so in a state of purity and holiness, The most preferable and auspicious time for this is after midnight. He should then close his eyes and divest his thoughts of all matters of this world, as though his soul has left him, so that he is like a dead person who no longer has any feelings for this world at all. He should then strengthen himself with great yearning and desire to think about matters of the upper world, and to bring his soul to adhere to the roots of his soul and the supernal upper lights of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. He should picture it to himself as if his soul has left him and is ascending above, and he should picture the upper worlds as though he is actually present within them. If he makes a unification (Yichud), he should think about it in such a manner, that through it, he draws down Godly light and influence to all the worlds, and he should have in mind that he too should receive his portion of it, lastly. He should seclude himself in thought, as though the spirit has somewhat rested upon him.
ואם עשה איזה יחוד יהרהר בו להמשיך בזה אור ושפע בכל העולמות, ויכוין לקבל גם הוא חלקו באחרונה, ויתבודד במחשבה כאלו נחה עליו הרוח עד שעור מה. ואם לא ירגיש מאומה נראה כי עדין איננו ראוי ומוכן, ולכן יתחזק עוד מאז ואילך בעבודה ובקדושה ויחזור אחר ימים להתבודד על דרך הנזכר עד אשר יזכה ותנוח עליו הרוח:
If he took all these measures, following this path, but did not come to any feeling, this indicates that he is not yet fully fitting and prepared for it. He therefore should continue to strengthen himself from that point forward to an even greater degree, both in his service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, as well as in his sanctity, and then after a period of time, he should again return to seclude himself as before, until he merits that the spirit rests upon him.
וכאשר תחול עליו צריך שיבחין אולי עדין איננו זך ונקי, והרוח הזה הוא סטרא אחרא, או על הפחות תערובות רע בטוב, ומעשה בן עזאי ובן זומא (חגיגה דף י"ד ע"ב) בעלותם לפרד"ס יוכיח, וזה יבחן על ידי מה שנגלה אליו, אם כל דבריו אמת או שקר ואמת מעורבין או אם דבריו בדברים בטלים של הבלי העולם הזה, או בדברים שאינן על פי התורה וכיוצא בזה, כי אז צריך לדחותו מעליו, וגם להתחזק יותר ויותר בעבודה עד יהיו כל דבריו נאמנים וביראת שמים וכו':
Now, when it indeed rests upon him, he must be very discerning to determine whether indeed is a refined and pure spirit, or whether he has been visited by spirit from the opposite of goodness (Sitra Achara), or at the very least, whether there is an admixture of good and evil in it. The incident that happened when Ben Azai and Ben Zoma ascended to the Pardes915Talmud Bavli, Chagigah 14b – Ben Azai glimpsed and died, and Ben Zoma was harmed, in that he lost his mind. attests to this. This may be determined based on what is revealed to him, whether all the words of the spirit are true, or whether there is an intermingling of truth and false in his words, whether his words are idle matters relating to the vanities of this world, or whether his words are not in accordance to Torah and the like. In such cases, he must push off the spirit from upon himself, and strengthen himself even more in his service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, until all his words are true and faithful and he has true fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He.
ודע כי בתחלה תחול עליו הרוח במקרה לעתים רחוקות, וגם שיהיו דברים נקלים ולא בדברים עמוקים וגם שדבריו יהיו מעטים, וכל אשר ילך יתחזק כוחו בכל הפרטים הנזכרים. והנה כלל הכל הוא זכוך החומר עד קצה האחרון, ועקירת הרהורי המחשבה וכח המדמה שבו לגמרי, ויתדבק בעליונים בתכלית הדבוק. והנה צריך שתתבונן בכל מה שכתבנו בחלק ראשון בשער הששי כי שם נתבאר סדר הנהגת החסידות יותר בבאור:
Know, that initially, the spirit will rest upon him in a way that seems like happenstance and only on rare occasions. Moreover, the words of the spirit will initially be on simple matters that are not very deep. Furthermore, his words will be few. However, the more one continues in this way, the more he will be strengthened in all of the above-mentioned matters. Moreover, know that it is a critically important general principle to refine the materiality of his body to the utmost degree. The same applies to uprooting all alien thoughts and ruminations from his mind, as well as completely uprooting the power of imagination (Ko’ach HaMedameh) from himself.916That is, rather than seeking delusions and vain imaginations of the lowly world, he should instead immerse his mind in the Godly intellect of the “completely pure Torah of HaShem-יהו״ה” (Psalms 19:8) and study and contemplate the Supernal wisdom of His Throne of Glory – the chaining down of the worlds (Seder HaHishtalshelut) – in a way of detail, depth, and understanding. He should gaze upon the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed is He, from the very first and most ethereal spiritual form, until the lowest being of the depths of the earth. Through doing so he will come to realize and know the greatness of the Singular Preexistent Intrinsic and Essential Being of HaShem-יהו״ה Himself, blessed is He. Then the Holy Spirit will automatically and immediately dwell upon him. (See Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 2:2 & 7:1; Hilchot Teshuvah 10:6.) He should rather focus his mind on matters of the upper worlds with the utmost adhesion (Dveikut). It is also necessary to contemplate everything that was written in the sixth gate of Part One, for there the order of how to conduct oneself in a way of piety (Chassidut) was more fully explained.