R. Simeon further discoursed, citing the verse: “Ye shall not eat with the blood; neither shall ye practise divination nor soothsaying” (Lev. 19, 26). ‘The esoteric teaching of this verse’, he said, ‘is that if a man eats before he has prayed, as it were, for his blood, it is as though he were practising divination and soothsaying.
For in the night man’s soul mounts up into heaven to gaze upon the mystery of the Divine Glory, each one according to its merits, and the body is thus left deriving its life-force solely from the blood. And although alive, the man has then a foretaste of death, that life-force being too sluggish to be reawakened on the return of the soul, so as to be able to receive it. For when man awakens from his sleep he is not in a state of purity, because, as explained elsewhere, the “other side” has sway wherever the soul is absent.
He has first to purify himself with water, but even then, and although he may have been engaged in studying the Torah, the soul does not resume its former place and sway, and he is still sustained by the blood life-force alone, the force called nefesh (soul), which permeates the blood. It is only when he worships his Master in prayer that the blood-force resumes its normal position so that the soul regains its control in its own sphere. It is thus that man attains his proper and perfect condition, with the vital force (nefesh) beneath and the soul above.
Hence, if a man prays before he eats he puts himself in a proper condition, but if he eats before he prays for his blood to resume its proper sphere, it is as though he were practising divination and soothsaying, seeing that it is the way of the diviner to elevate the “other side”, and to degrade the side of holiness.
The term m’nahesh (diviner) is related to nahash (serpent), and the diviner is so called because he gives himself over to the Serpent in order to obtain from him power and strength. Such a man is like one serving other gods, and so likewise is he who eats before prayer, worshipping the blood life-force instead of worshipping the Almighty in order to fortify the side of the soul, the side of holiness.
פָּתַח וְאָמַר, כְּתִיב (ויקרא י״ט:כ״ו) לא תֹאכְלוּ עַל הַדָּם לֹא תְנַחֲשׁוּ וְלֹא תְעוֹנֵנוּ. הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ, וְרָזָא דְּמִלָּה, הַאי מַאן דְּאָכִיל בְּלָא צְלוֹתָא, דִּיצָלֵי (ד"א קדם דאכיל) עַל דָּמֵיהּ, שָׁקִיל אִיהוּ כִּמְנַחֵשׁ וּמְעוֹנֵן.
R. Simeon further discoursed, citing the verse: “Ye shall not eat with the blood; neither shall ye practise divination nor soothsaying” (Lev. 19, 26). ‘The esoteric teaching of this verse’, he said, ‘is that if a man eats before he has prayed, as it were, for his blood, it is as though he were practising divination and soothsaying.
בְּגִין דִּבְלֵילְיָא נִשְׁמְתָא סַלְקַת וְאִשְׁתַּטְחָת לְמֵחמֵי בְּרָזָא דִּיְקָרָא עִלָּאָה, כָּל חַד וְחַד כְּמָה דְּאִתְחָזֵי לֵיהּ. וְאִשְׁתְּאַר בַּר נָשׁ בְּהַהוּא חֵילָא דְאִשְׁתַתָף (נ"א דאתפשט) גּוֹ דָּמָא, לְאִתְקַיְּימָא גּוּפָא. וְעַל דָּא (ס"א ועם כל דא) טָעִים טַעֲמָא דְּמוֹתָא, וְהַהוּא חֵילָא לָא מִתְעַתְּדָא לְאִתְּעָרָא גּוֹ הַהוּא חֵילָא דְּנִשְׁמְתָא, וּלְקַבְּלָא לֵיהּ. וְכַד אִתְעָר בַּר נָשׁ, לָאו אִיהוּ דָּכִי. וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא, דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא שַׁלִּיט, עַל אֲתָר דְּקַיְּימָא בְּלָא נִשְׁמְתָא.
For in the night man’s soul mounts up into heaven to gaze upon the mystery of the Divine Glory, each one according to its merits, and the body is thus left deriving its life-force solely from the blood. And although alive, the man has then a foretaste of death, that life-force being too sluggish to be reawakened on the return of the soul, so as to be able to receive it. For when man awakens from his sleep he is not in a state of purity, because, as explained elsewhere, the “other side” has sway wherever the soul is absent.
כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְדָכֵּי בְּמַיָּא, וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בַּר נָשׁ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, (נ"א טעים טעמא דמותא, דסטרא אחרא שליט על אתר דקיימא בלא נשמתא וכד אתער בר נש אף על גב דאשתדל באורייתא) הַהִיא נִשְׁמְתָא לָא אִתְקַיָּימַת בְּאַתְרָהּ, וְלָא שַׁלְטָא בֵּיהּ בְּבַּר נָשׁ, בַּר חֵילָא דְּדָמָא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, דְּאִקְרֵי נֶפֶשׁ, הַהִיא דְּאִתְפַּשְּׁטָא בְּדָמָא תָּדִיר, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא. וְכַד יִצָלֵי בַּר נָשׁ צְלוֹתָא דְּפוּלְחָנָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, כְּדֵין מִתְיַישְּׁבָא חֵילָא דְּדָמָא בְּאַתְרֵיהּ, וְאִתְגַּבָּר חֵילָא דְּנִשְׁמְתָא, וְאִתְיָישְׁבָא עַל הַהוּא אֲתָר. וּכְדֵין בַּר נָשׁ אִשְׁתְּלִים קַמֵּי מָארֵיהּ, כְּמָה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ, נֶפֶשׁ לְתַתָּא, וְרָזָא דְּמִלָּה דְּנִשְׁמְתָא לְעֵילָּא.
He has first to purify himself with water, but even then, and although he may have been engaged in studying the Torah, the soul does not resume its former place and sway, and he is still sustained by the blood life-force alone, the force called nefesh (soul), which permeates the blood. It is only when he worships his Master in prayer that the blood-force resumes its normal position so that the soul regains its control in its own sphere. It is thus that man attains his proper and perfect condition, with the vital force (nefesh) beneath and the soul above.
וְעַל דָּא, מַאן דְּצַלֵּי צְלוֹתָא עַד לָא יֵיכוּל, קָאִים גַּרְמֵיהּ כְּמָה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ, וְסַלְּקָא נִשְׁמְתָא עַל אֲתָר מוֹתְבָה כְּמָה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ, וְאִי אָכִיל עַד לָא צַלֵי צְלוֹתֵיהּ לְאִתְיַישְּׁבָא דָּמָא עַל אַתְרֵיהּ, הָא אִיהוּ כִּמְנַחֵשׁ וּמְעוֹנֵן. בְּגִין דְּהָא אִיהוּ אָרְחֵיהּ דִּמְנַחֵשׁ, לְסַלְּקָא לִסְטַר אַחֲרָא, וּלְמָאֲכָא סִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה.
Hence, if a man prays before he eats he puts himself in a proper condition, but if he eats before he prays for his blood to resume its proper sphere, it is as though he were practising divination and soothsaying, seeing that it is the way of the diviner to elevate the “other side”, and to degrade the side of holiness.
אֲמַאי אִקְרֵי בַּר נָשׁ הַהוּא דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּהַהוּא סִטְרָא מְנַחֵשׁ. עַל דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּהַהוּא נָחָשׁ, לְאַתָּקְפָא חֵילֵיהּ וּלְאִתְגַּבְּרָא. וְדָא אִיהוּ כְּמַאן דְּפָלַח לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים. וְכֵן הַאי פָּלַח לְהַהוּא חֵילָא דְּדָמָא, וְלָא פָּלַח לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לְאַתָּקְפָא סִטְרָא דְּנִשְׁמְתָא, סִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה.
The term m’nahesh (diviner) is related to nahash (serpent), and the diviner is so called because he gives himself over to the Serpent in order to obtain from him power and strength. Such a man is like one serving other gods, and so likewise is he who eats before prayer, worshipping the blood life-force instead of worshipping the Almighty in order to fortify the side of the soul, the side of holiness.
מְעוֹנֵן, דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּחוֹבָא, וְלָא אִשְׁתָּדַּל בִּזְכוּ. וְאִי תֵּימָא הָא קַיְּימָא נ' בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא. הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי, דְּהָא לָא יַכְלִין לְשַׁלְּטָאָה בְּהַהוּא סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא, עַד דְּאִתְעַרְבֵי בֵּיהּ עֵרוּבָא דִּסְטָר קְדוּשָּׁה, כְּחוּטָא חַד דָּקִיק. מַאן (הקדמה ב ע"ב) דְּבָעֵי לְקַיְּימָא שִׁקְרָא, יְעָרַב בָּהּ מִלָּה דִּקְשׁוֹט, בְּגִין דְּיִתְקַיֵּים הַהוּא שִׁקְרָא. וְעַל דָּא עָוֹן מִלָּה דְּשֶׁקֶר הוּא, וּבְגִין לְקַיְּימָא לֵיהּ, עָאלִין בָּהּ מִלָּה דִּקְשׁוֹט, וְדָא אִיהוּ נ', בְּדָא מְקַיְּימֵי לְהַהוּא שֶׁקֶר. וּמַאן דְּלָא צַלֵי צְלוֹתָא לְקַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, עַד לָא יֵיכוּל עַל דָּמֵיהּ, כִּמְנַחֵשׁ וּמְעוֹנֵן.
Happy is your portion, O exalted saints’, continued R. Simeon, ‘in that through prayer man’s body and soul are edified so that he becomes complete.