Midrash Rabbah Leviticus on Stringing Together Words of Scripture

"Ben Azzai was sitting and expounding Scripture while a great fire was blazing all around him. Later, his students asked him about the incident: 'Is it perhaps that you have been delving into the arrangements of the Merkavah?' He replied to them: 'No. Rather, I string together passages from the Torah with passages from the Nevi'im, and passages from the Nevi'im with passages from the Ketuvim, and thus the words of Torah were as joyous as they were on the day they were given at Mount Sinai."

-- Midrash Rabbah Leviticus, 16.4


Here, Ben Azzai means that he is mapping out vibrational resonances between the various sections of the TaNaK. The indication is that this is a mystical activity that is similar in intensity to the Ma'aseh Merkavah when performed with skill.

Sefer haZohar on the Mishkan as the Vessel of Shekhinah

"Mystery of mysteries for those who know Wisdom: When an impulse arose in the will of Secret of Secrets to form glory for Its glory, It blew a spirit from a supernal point extending from above to below, and placed Its array to settle in this world. Why? Because without an essential root of this world, there would be no vessel to pour to this world at all. And without pouring to this world, it would immediately perish, unable to exist for even one moment. But since its arrayal stems from this world, it is filled ─ from one side to pour to this world, and from another side to pour to supernal angels. All are nourished by it as one."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:146a (transl. Matt)


The "array" is the Mishkan. It is the "vessel" into which the "spirit" from above can be poured. There is a Mishkan in this world, and a Mishkan in the angelic world.  There is a correspondence between the lower Mishkan and the upper Mishkan. When human beings build their lower Mishkan, it motivates the angels to become active at their level, and a conduit of communication is opened between human beings below and the angels above.

Talmud Bavli Megillah on Studying the Laws of Sacrifice

"Abraham said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe! Perhaps, Heaven forbid, Israel will sin before you, and You will do to them as You did to the generation of the flood and the generation of the Dispersion. He said: No! Abraham said before God: Master of the Universe! Whereby shall I know? With what will they atone for their sins? God said to Abraham: 'Bring Me three calves' (Genesis 15:9).

"Abraham said before God: Master of the Universe! That is fine for the times when the Holy Temple will be in existence, but in the times when the Holy Temple will not be in existence, what will be with them? God said to Abraham: I have already established for them the Scriptural section of offerings. Whenever they read from them, I will consider it as if they were bringing an offering before Me, and I will forgive them of their sins."

-- Talmud Bavli, Megillah 31b


Perhaps the Temple never existed as a historical reality. But the plan of the Temple exists eternally in the divine mind. Then all the laws of sacrifice are seen as coded formulas for theurgic enactment.

The Torah teaches us how to become like Moses, whereby we receive instructions from the divine mind and teach them to others, and how to become like Aaron, whereby we serve as priests in the temple and perform blessings and prayers and rites of purification, atonement and mystical elevation.
  

Sefer haZohar on the Ten Commandments and the Holy Name of God

"Rabbi Elazar taught: In these ten statements are embodied all the commandments in the Torah, decrees and punishments, cleanness and uncleanness, branches and roots, trees and plants, heaven and earth, sea and the deeps. For the Torah is the name of the Holy One, blessed be He. Just as the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is embodied in the ten statements, so the Torah is also embodied in the ten statements, These ten statements are the name of the Holy One, blessed be He. And the whole Torah is one name, the actual holy name of the Holy One, blessed be He. Happy is the man who gains it. Whoever gain the Torah gains the holy name."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:90a (transl. Tishby)

Sefer haChinukh on the World to Come not Mentioned in the Written Torah

"Should one ask further: After you have said that the primary aspect of all Creation is the world of souls (olam ha-neshamot) and that the ultimate reward for observance of the mitzvot is received there, why does God not mention it in the Written Torah and say explicitly, 'When you perform My mitzvot, I will bequeath you a share in the World to Come'?

"The answer is as follows: It is because the idea of the World to Come is known and obvious to all who possess intelligence; it is as clear as the sun. There is no nation or culture that does not agree that souls endure after the bodies have ceased to be; nor is there anyone who disputes that commensurate with the goodness of a soul, its wisdom, and the righteousness of its deeds, its pleasures in that world is correspondingly greater.

"This is logical, for the origin of the intelligent soul is the Source of Intelligence, i.e. God, and the closer the soul draws to its natural environment, to the place from which it originates, the greater is its pleasure."

-- Sefer haChinukh, Introduction

While the anonymous author of the Chinukh was well versed in the thought of Maimonides, who was thoroughly of Aristotelian persuasion, this passage is very similar to Platonist doctrines on the soul, such as found in Phaedrus, Philebus, etc.

Talmud Yerushalmi on The Death of the Sons of Aaron and Yom Kippur

"Rabbi Chiyah bar Ba says: The sons of Aaron died on the first day of Nissan, which was the eighth day of the miluim. So why does the Torah mention their deaths in the passage about the Yom Kippur service? To teach you that just as Yom Kippur atones for the sins of Israel, so do the deaths of righteous people atone for the sins of Israel."

-- Talmud Yerushalmi, Yoma 2b

Hekhalot Rabbati on Who is Like Our King, YHVH Our God

"Who is like our King among all the majestic ones who hold kingship? Who is like our Former? Who is like YHVH our God? Who is like Him among those who fasten on the fastenings of crowns? For with six voices the beings who are bearers of the throne of His glory sing before Him, the cherubim and the ophannim and the holy living creatures, with voice after voice that his made to ascend over its companion and is modulated before Him.

"Who is like our King? Who is like our Former? Who is like YHVH our God? The sun and the moon rule and lead forth the crown of His head. The Pleiades, Orion, and the morning star, groups of stars, and stars and constellations drip and go forth from the robe of Him who is garlanded and He is enthroned in it upon the throne of His glory and it emits a great light between His eyes, for He is a King of miracles, a King of mighty acts, a King of holy wonders, and a King of explications, according to the word that is said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy' (Isaiah 6:3)."

-- Hekhalot Rabbati, Synopse §§103, 105 (transl. J. Davila)

Talmud Bavli Yoma on the Foundation Stone in Zion

"Rabbi Eliezer says: The world was created from its center, as it says: 'When dirt was poured to a single bedrock and clumps stuck around it' (Job 38:38). Rabbi Yehoshua says: The world was created from its four sides, as it says: 'For he says to the snow: Become the earth! From showers and rain, from showers and his mighty rains' (Job 37:6). Rabbi Yitzchak said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, threw a stone into the sea and from that stone the earth was founded, as it says: 'Do you know into what its bases are sunken, or who cast down its cornerstone?' (Job 38:6). But the sages say: The world was created from Zion, as it says: 'A song by Asaph, O Almighty God, YHVH spoke and called forth the earth' (Psalms 50:1). And it says in the next verse, 'Out of Zion, consummation of beauty'. From Zion, the beauty of the world was consummated."

-- Talmud Bavli, Yoma 54b

Talmud Bavli Menachot on The Tagin (Crownlets) of the Hebrew Letters

"Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: When Moses ascended to the Heavenly Heights, he found the Holy One, Blessed be He, as He was sitting and attaching crowns to some of the letters of the Torah.  Moses said before Him, 'Master of the Universe, who is holding You back from giving the Torah as it is?'  God said to him, 'There is one man who is destined to exist at the end of many generations, Akiva ben Yosef is his name, and it is he who will expound upon each and ever point heaps and heaps of halachot (oral laws)'."

-- Talmud Bavli, Menachot 29b

Talmud Bavli Menachot on the Mitzvah to Write a Torah Scroll

"And Rabbi Yehoshua bar Abba said in the name of Rav Gidel, who said in the name of Rav: One who buys a Torah scroll from the market is like on who grabs a mitzvah from the market.  If he wrote it himself, Scripture considers him as if he received it personally from Mount Sinai."

-- Talmud Bavli, Menachot 30a

"And now write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel, place it in their mouths."

-- Deuteronomy 31:19

Sefer haZohar on the Mishkan of Metatron

"Moses fashioned the Mishkan in the desert to bring Shekhinah down to earth, and on that same day another Mishkan was erected along with it above, as they have established, for it is written: 'The Mishkan was erected' (Exodus 40:17) ─ another Mishkan erected with it, namely the Mishkan haNa'ar (Tabernacle of the Youth), Metatron, and nothing further."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:143a (transl. D. Matt)

Sefer haZohar on the Mishkan as Body of Shekhinah

"The making of the Mishkan resembled the pattern above, one corresponding to the other, so that Shekhinah would be embraced on all sides, above and below.  Here in this world, its workmanship is like that of the body, to contain spirit within ─ namely, Shekhinah, who is included above and below.  She is Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit), continuously entering and drawn into the mystery of the body, so that kernel will dwell within shell, all fittingly."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:140b (transl. D. Matt)

Rashi on a Reference to Metatron in Exodus 23:21 - "My Name is Within Him"

"Behold! I send an angel before you to protect you on the way, and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.  Beware of him ─ hearken to his voice, do not disobey him, for he will not forgive your transgression ─ for My Name is within him."

-- Exodus 23:20-21

"Our Rabbis have said that this is the angel Metatron, whose name is like the Name of his Master, in that the numerical value of Metatron (314) equals that of Shaddai."

-- Rashi, Commentary on Exodus

Sefer haZohar on Reciting the Shema Fulfills the Entire Torah

"When the people of Israel enact unification by this verse ─ in the mystery of twenty-five letters: שמע ישראל יהוה אלהינו יהוה אחד (Shema Yisra'el YHVH Eloheinu YHVH ehad), 'Hear O Israel, YHVH our God, YHVH is one'; and ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד (Barukh shem kevod malkuto le-olam va-ed), 'Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever', which contains twenty-four letters ─ focusing on each one of the, all those letters join as one and ascend to forty-nine gates, in the mystery of Jubilee. Then one must elevate ועד (va-ed), 'and ever' ─ no further ─ upon which gates are opened, and the blessed Holy One considers that person as if he had fulfilled the complete Torah, which appears in forty-nine facets, completely.

"Therefore, one should focus the will on twenty-five and twenty-four, elevating them by aspiration of the heart through the forty-nine gates that we have mentioned. Having focused on this, one should focus on the unification described by our Master ─ שמע ישראל (Shema Yisra'el), 'Hear O Israel! ...', and ברוך שם (Barukh shem), 'Blessed be the name...', are the entirety of the whole Torah. Happy is the share of one who focuses on them, for this is surely the entirety of Torah, above and below! This is the mystery of the complete Human, male and female, and mystery of all faith."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:139b (transl. D. Matt, Pritzker ed. vol. 5, pp. 284-5)

One who recites the Shema is as one who has fulfilled all 248 positive commandments, which are body parts of the "complete Human" - supernal Adam.

The 3 paragraphs of the Shema contain 245 words. Including the 3 words אל מלך נאמן (El melekh ne'eman) 'God, faithful king', brings the count up to 248.

The 248 words of the Shema are coded for the mathematics of the exceptional simple Lie group E8, a 248-dimensional Lie group that is part of the foundations of mathematical physics, in particular string theory and supergravity. Below is an image of E8 projected into the Coxeter plane:

The Lie group E8

   

Abraham Abulafia on Performing Letter Permutations

"We learned from the divine, prophetic, and religious Kabbalah that when the wise mystic performs the Tzerufim (Permutations), the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) rests upon him. At first, the things he obtains from the Tzeruf will fill him with fear and awe; his hair will stand on end, and his organs will tremble. Then, if he is worthy, Ruach Elohim (Spirit of God) will rest upon him. He will feel as if his entire body from head to toe, were anointed with anointing oil. He will become the anointed of haShem (the Name), and become his emissary; he will be called the Malakh haElohim (Angel of God) and his name will be the name of his Rav (Master), which is Shaddai (Almighty), who is called Metatron, the Prince of the Presence (Sar haPanim)."

-- Abraham Abulafia, Chaye haOlam haBa (Life in the World to Come)

Talmud Bavli Bava Kamma on Gentiles Studying Torah of Equal Status to High Priest

"Rabbi Meir used to say, 'Whence can we learn that even where a Gentile occupies himself with the study of the Torah he is equal in status to the High Priest? We find it stated: 'You shall observe My statues and My ordinances, which a man shall do and live by them. I am YHWH.' (Leviticus 18:5) It does not say 'priests, Levites and Israelites', but 'a man', which shows that even if a Gentile occupies himself with the study of the Torah he is equal in status to the High Priest.'"

-- Talmud Bavli, Bava Kamma 38a

Sefer haZohar on the Torah as the Name of God

"The whole of the Torah is the name of the Blessed Holy One and he who studies it is like one who studies the holy name, since the whole Torah is one holy name, a supernal name, a name that comprises names."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:124a

Tishby on the Torah's Fundemantal Nature

"When the kabbalist comes to assess the Torah's fundamental nature, its hidden mystery, he does not see it as a collection of commandments, statutes, and ordinances, of ethical pronouncements and accounts of historical events, all proceeding from the mouth of God. It is for him a massive treasury of divine forces and divine lights that have donned the form of letters and words and so revealed themselves in the book of the Torah."

-- Isaiah Tishby, Wisdom of the Zohar p. 283

Midrash Rabbah Beresheet on The Names of Children Given by Ruach haKodesh

"The men of prehistoric times, being able to use the Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh), gave names to their children which indicated events that were to happen to them later in their lives."

-- Midrash Rabbah, Beresheet 37.7

Talmud Bavli Yoma on the Cherubim in the Temple

"Rav Ketina said: When the people of Israel would ascend to the Temple on the festival, the Kohanim would roll up the Curtain for them, and show them the Cherubim which were joined together in loving embrace. The Kohanim would tell the people, 'Behold! You are loved by the Omnipresent, just as the love between male and female.'"

-- Talmud Bavli, Yoma 54a

Talmud Bavli Berachot on Protection Granted to Those Who Study Torah

"Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Anyone who engages in Torah study, afflictions keep away from him."

-- Talmud Bavli, Berachot 5a

Sefer haZohar on the Prayers of the Righteous and Angels Appointed Over Prayers of Israel

"Rabbi Abba said: [...] The blessed Holy One constantly desires the prayers of the righteous and crowns Himself with their prayers, as they have said: That angel appointed over the prayers of Israel takes all those prayers, fashions them into a crown, and places it on the head of Vitality of the Worlds, as they have established. All the more so with prayers of the righteous, desired by the blessed Holy One, fashioned into a crown with which He is crowned. [...]

"Come and see what Rabbi Shim'on said: 'The prayer of a congregation ascends before the blessed Holy One, who crowns Himself with that prayer because it ascends in many colors, encompassing many facets. Interweaving many colors, it is made into a crown and placed on the head of the Righteous One, Vitality of the Worlds; wheras the prayer of an individual is not interwoven but monochromatic and so not as readily received as the prayer of a congregation.'"

-- Sefer haZohar 1:167b (transl. D. Matt)

Torah on Revelation to Moses - Face to Face, Mouth to Mouth

"And there was no other prophet who arose in Israel like Moshe, whom YHVH knew 'face to face' (panim el panim)."

-- Devarim 34:10

"With him I speak 'mouth to mouth' (peh el peh); in a vision and not in riddles, and he beholds the image of YHVH."

-- Bemidbar 12:8

 rחידה = iddle

Rabbi Moshe Cordovero on Prerequisities to the Study of Kabbalah

"There are also those who imagine that before pursuing Kabbalah, they must first master the science of astronomy. They have other notions which keep them from following the straight path. They sanctimoniously give themselves the excuse that their bellies are not yet full of the bread and meat of the Gemara. For these poor people, their entire lives will not be sufficient to learn even a bit of Gemara, let alone to fill their bellies so that they could partake of this science and be sated. Thus the poor people go to their eternal rest bereft of wisdom."

-- Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, Or Ne'Erev 11a

Rabbi Moshe Cordovero on Arousal of the Righteous Towards Shekhinah

"There is a need for the arousal of the righteous in this lower world towards the Shekhinah in order for the righteous to be the throne and dwelling for the emanation pouring into this world from the Shekhinah. It is because of their merit that this emanation from above flows to the lower ones. Come and see: what is the meaning of 'I am my beloved's and his desire is towards me' (Shir haShirim 7:2)? 'I am my beloved's' ─ I first turn to God and then, as a consequence, 'His desire is towards me'. Thus, it is clear that arousal is needed in order to have a sanctuary, a fixed place and a throne for emanation. So, the principle of arousal indicates that there should be a fixed place and a preparation for emanation. It means that the light of emanation does not appear unless it has some kind of receptacle in which to be stored. When there is a receptacle and a fixed place in which to be stored in the world, light and emanation descend. Then, the light is revealed and seen; much emanation descends into Malkhut in order to feed the lower ones, giving delight and peace."

-- Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, Pardes Rimonim 8.20

Midrash Rabbah Devarim on Languages and Writing a Torah Scroll

"An Israelite who seeks to write a Torah scroll - what is the law? Is it permissible for him to write a Torah scroll in any language, or must it specifically be written in Hebrew?

"The Sages taught the following in a Mishnah: There is no difference between the laws pertaining to the writing of Scriptural Books and those pertaining to the writing of tefillin and mezuzot, except that Scriptural Books may be written in any language, whereas tefillin and mezuzot may be written only in Hebrew script. Rabban Gamliel says: The Sages did not permit even Scriptural Books to be written in any language, but only Greek. 

"What is the reason for Rabban Gamliel, who says that it is permitted to write a Torah scroll in Greek, but not in other languages? This is what our Rabbis have taught: Bar Kappara said: It is written, 'May God extend Yafet, and he will dwell in the tents of Shem' (Beresheet 9:27) - and this is interpreted to mean that the words of Shem shall be said in the language of Yafet. Therefore the Sages permitted that the Scriptural Books may be written in Greek."

-- Midrash Rabbah, Devarim 1.1

Midrash Tanchuma on the Study of the Temple Architecture

"When Yechezkiel saw the vision of the future Temple, he exclaimed to God, 'You tell me to go and tell Israel the form of the House? Leave them until they go back to the Land and then I will tell them.' God answered, 'Is it right that because My children are in exile that the building of My Temple should be ignored?' Then God said, 'The study of the Temple architecture in the Torah is considered as being of equal importance to its construction. Go, tell them to study the Temple architecture and as a reward I will consider their study as equivalent to actually constructing the Beit haMikdash.'"

-- Midrash Tanchuma, Tzav 14

Midrash Rabbah Eichah on Scholars of Torah

"Rabbi Yehudah haNasi [the redactor of the Mishnah] would send Rabbi Assi and Rabbi Ami to go forth and rectify the cities of the Land of Israel. They would enter the cities, and they would say to the townsfolk, 'Bring the protectors of the city to us.' The townsfolk would bring the head of the town guard and the watchman to them. They would say to the townsfolk, 'These are the protectors of the city? These are the destroyers of the city!' The townsfolk would then say to Rabbi Assi and Rabbi Ami, 'And who then are the protectors of the city?' The two scholars would say to the townsfolk, 'The guards of the city are the teachers of Scripture and the teachers of Mishnah, for they are studying and learning and upholding the Torah, by day and by night, in accordance with that which Scripture states, 'This book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth; rather, you should study it day and night' (Joshua 1:8). And so the verse states, 'If YHVH will not build the house, in vain do its builders labor on it; if YHVH will not guard the city, in vain is the watchman vigilant' (Psalms 127:1)."

-- Midrash Rabbah, Eichah 1.2

Talmud Bavli Shabbat on the 39 Forbidden Labors and the Construction of the Mishkan

"Rabbi Yosanan ben Achinai, Rabbi Yosanan ben Elazar, and Rabbi Chanina bar Chama sat and pondered the following: Regarding that which we learned in a Mishnah: 'The primary labors (melachot) are forty minus one' ─ to what do they correspond? R. Chanina bar Chama said: 'They correspond to the labors (avodot) of the construction of the Mishkan, [of which there are also thirty-nine]."

-- Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 49b

This passage contains a secret formula. Why are the labors forbidden on Shabbat called "melachot", while the labors in the construction of the Mishkan are called "avodot"?

מלאכות = "melachot"
עבודות = "avodot"
 

Sefer haZohar on the Holiness of Words of Torah

"Rabbi El'azar opened, 'If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will suffer' (Mishlei 9:12). Woe to the wicked of the world who neither know nor consider words of Torah! And if they do not consider, words of Torah appear to them entirely empty and worthless, since they lack intelligence. All because they are empty-headed! For all words of Torah are entirely precious. Of every single word is written: 'She is more precious than rubies; nothing desired can compare with her' (ibid. 3:15, 8:11) ─ with words of Torah.

"All those close-minded, close-hearted fools, upon seeing words of Torah ─ as if it weren't bad enough that they are unaware, they actually claim that those words are defective, worthless! Woe to them when the Blessed Holy One avenges the humiliation of Torah and they are inflicted with punishment for rebelling against their Lord!

"What is written in Torah? 'It is not an empty word מכם (mi-kem), for you' (Devarim 32:47); and if it is empty, it is mi-kem, from you ─ because of you! For Torah is completely filled with all precious stones and priceless pearls, with all the world's treasures, as is said: 'Nothing desired can compare with her'. So how can they say she is empty?

"King Solomon declared, 'If you are wise, you are wise for yourself', because when a person grows wise in Torah, this is his own benefit, since to Torah herself he cannot add even a single letter. 'If you scoff, you alone will suffer', for he will not diminish the glory of Torah in the least. His scoffing is totally his, lingering within him to eliminate him from this world and from the world that is coming.

"Come and see: When supernal letters all combine on this rung ─ last of all sacred supernal rungs, filled by them, blessed by the higher world ─ then this rung stands poised to water all those flocks, each one fittingly, each one watered with judgment and compassion."

-- Sefer haZohar 1:163a (transl. D. Matt)

The last paragraph is an allusion to letter combination and permutation methods of mystical meditation, as taught for example by the school of Rabbi Abraham Abulafia. The "last rung" is a reference to the 10th sefirah, Malkut.

Talmud Bavli Avodah Zarah on Selection of Texts for Study

"Levi and Rabbi Shimon, the son of Rabbi Yehuda the Prince, were sitting before Rabbi Yehudah studying Scripture. Upon completing one book, Levi said, 'Let us now commence with the study of Proverbs,' while Rabbi Shimon said, 'Let us now commence with the study of Psalms'. Rabbi Shimon overruled Levi and they began to study Psalms. They paused after they had only reached the second verse, 'But his desire is in the Torah of the Lord'. Rabbi Yehudah explained: 'One should always study the section of Torah towards which his heart is inclined and wherein lies his desire'. Thereupon, Levi remarked: 'Rabbi, with this statement you have given me permission to rise up and withdraw myself from this study of the Psalms'."

-- Talmud Bavli, Avodah Zarah 19a

Midrash Rabbah Shemot on Prayer and Reciting Words of Torah

"Anyone who does the Will of the Omnipresent and directs his mind in prayer, God listens to him in this world, and so too in the World to Come; for it is stated, 'It will be that before they call I will answer' (Isaiah 65:24) ─ in this world, 'while they speak, I will hear' (ibid.) ─ in the World to Come.
"And what will they speak in the World to Come? The explanation is that in the World to Come every person will stand and make his Torah learning heard, and God will sit and make His Torah heard with them, as it is stated, 'Then those who fear haShem spoke to one another, and haShem listened' (Malachi 3:16). And it is written, 'And your eyes will behold your Teacher and your ears will listen' (Isaiah 30:20-21); and 'All your children will be students of haShem' (ibid. 54:13)."

-- Midrash Rabbah, Shemot 21.3

Midrash Rabbah Beresheet on the Ascent and Descent of Shekhinah

"Originally, the place of the Shekhinah was in the lower regions. When Adam sinned it ascended to the first heaven; when Cain sinned it ascended to the second heaven; in the generation of Enoch it ascended to the third; in the generation of the Flood to the fourth; in the generation of the Tower of Babel to the fifth; the men of Sodom caused it to depart to the sixth; and the Egyptians in the time of Abraham caused it to depart to the seventh. In contradistinction, seven righteous men arose and made it descend. Abraham brought it down to the sixth, Isaac to the fifth, Jacob to the fourth, Levi to the third, Kohath to the second, Amram to the first, and Moses caused it to come down from above to below on earth."

-- Midrash Rabbah, Beresheet 19.7

Mishnah Chagigah on Abandoning the Torah

"'Who is 'a crooked one who cannot be straightened' (Ecclesiastes 1:15)? Rabbi Shim'on ben Yochai says: We do not refer to someone as 'crooked' unless he was straight at first and then became crooked. And who is this? This is a Torah scholar who abandons the Torah."

-- Mishnah, Chagigah 1:7

Midrash Rabbah Ruth on YHVH and His People Israel

"Rabbi Shim'on bar Yochai taught: 'God, your God am I' (Psalms 50:7). God is saying here, 'In actuality, I am known as God (Elohim) to all the world's inhabitants, but I have designated My Name (YHVH) specifically only in connection with My people Israel; for I am not called "the God of the nations", but only "the God of Israel".'"

-- Midrash Rabbah, Ruth 1.1

Sefer haZohar on Emanation and the Letters of YHVH

"Rabbi Shim'on said, 'We have learned that when the blessed Holy One created the world, He carved engravings of mysteries of faith within radiances in supernal mysteries. He engraved above, He engraved below, all in one mystery of engravings of the Holy Name, YHVH, ruling through its letters above and below. Through this mystery worlds were consummated, the upper world and the lower world.

"The upper world was consummated by mystery of the letter Yod ─ primordial supernal point emerging from within the concealed and hidden, which is unknown unsusceptible to knowing, and completely unknowable, mysterious ascension of Ein Sof. From this concealment shone a single radiance ─ subtle, concealed, comprising within itself the totality of all lights. That concealed radiance was struck by one who did not strike, illumined by one who did not illumine, and then it emitted one radiance ─ bliss in which to delight, radiance in which subtle concealed radiance may be secreted..."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:127a (transl. D. Matt)

Rabbi Shim'on continues his discourse, but consider: this portion of text is meant to be recited aloud as a blessing. It is a theurgical exercise that opens the subtle energy channels inside one's own Tree.

Talmud Bavli Megillah on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies

"Rabbi Levi said, 'The following statement is a tradition that has been passed down to us from our fathers: The space taken up by the Ark is not included in the dimensions of the Holy of Holies. Miraculously, it did not take up any space at all inside the Holy of Holies.'"

-- Talmud Bavli, Megillah 10b

The Gemara continues: "This was also taught in the following Baraisa: 'The Ark which Moses constructed had ten cubits of space on each side between it and the two walls of the Holy of Holies.' And it is written 'And the area in front of the partition was twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.' (I Kings 6:20) This teaches that the Holy of Holies measured twenty cubits by twenty cubits in total."

To clarify: the length from the edge of the ark to the wall of the Holy of Holies was ten cubits in each direction. But how could this be so if the ark itself was 2.5 cubits by 1.5 cubit? Therefore, the ark did not take up any space at all inside the Holy of Holies.

The answer is that the ark only exists in a higher dimensional space, but can be accessed from the center of the Holy of Holies.

It is not a METaphor to say that the Holy of Holies must be the third central ventricle of the brain and that the ark must be the pineal gland. It's the other way around: the human anatomy is a MITaphor of the architecture of the Temple.   

Midrash Rabbah Shir haShirim - Aggadic Story of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa

"An interpretation of the verse 'Have you seen a man diligent at his work?' (Mishlei 22:29): This is an allusion to Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa.

"It was said that Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa once saw the men of his city bringing burnt-offerings and peace-offerings up to the Temple in Jerusalem. He said to himself: They are all bringing burnt-offerings and peace-offerings up to Jerusalem, while I bring up nothing. What shall I do?

"Immediately, he went to the outskirts of his city and entered into an abandoned ruin of his city, where he found a certain stone. He emerged from the ruin, and painted the stone, transforming it into a beautiful work of art. He then declared, 'It is hereby incumbent upon me to bring the stone up to Jerusalem and consecrate it for the upkeep of the Temple.'

"He sought to hire some workers to transport his stone to Jerusalem for him. He asked them, 'Will you bring this stone up to Jerusalem for me?' They replied to him, 'Give us our fee of one hundred gold coins and we will bring your stone up to Jerusalem for you.' He said to them, 'And from where do I have a hundred gold coins, or even fifty gold coins to give you?' He could not find the amount of money at that time, whereupon the workers immediately went on their way.

"Immediately, the Holy One, blessed is He, prepared for him five angels in the form of people, and they said to him, 'Our teacher, give us five sela'im and we will bring your stone up to Jerusalem, provided that you place your hand on the stone together with us. Rabbi Chanina placed his hand on the stone with them, and they were immediately found to be standing in Jerusalem!

"Rabbi Chanina sought to pay them their wage for transporting the stone, but could not find them. The incident was brought before the Sanhedrin, who sat in the Chamber of Hewn Stone in the Temple, and they said to Rabbi Chanina, 'Our teacher, it appears to us that ministering angels brought the stone up to Jerusalem for you.' Rabbi Chanina immediately gave the wage for which he had hired the angels to the Sages."

-- Midrash Rabbah, Shir haShirim 1.4

Midrash Rabbah Shir haShirim on Words of Torah in the Heart

" 'The heart of a wise man enlightens his mouth, and adds learning on his lips' (Proverbs 16:23). The heart of a wise man is full of wisdom. Who enlightens others about him? Who informs others about him? His mouth. When he speaks words of wisdom, his mouth informs others of him; his mouth apprises others of him. '... and adds learning on his lips'. Because the wise man extracts the words of Torah from his heart and enunciates them with his lips, he adds to the learning of Torah."

-- Midrash Rabbah, Shir haShirim 1.6

Moshe Eliaqim Beriah on Combination of Letters in Sefer Yetzirah

"It is written in Sefer Yetzirah that the letters are called stones and the words are called houses. And the person who approaches the study of Torah and prayer, ought to build a house, which is the combinations of letters, filled by illumination and perfection and to prepare a Tabernacle for God, Blessed be He, to dwell there in those words of the prayer."

-- Moshe Eliaqim Beriah, Qohelet Moshe 8a (1875)

Rabbi Moshe Cordovero on the Letters of Emanation and Performing Mitzvot

"There is no doubt that the letters that compose each and every pericope of the Torah, and every Gemara and chapter someone is studying, which concern a certain Mizvah, have a spiritual reality which ascends and clings to the branches of a certain sefirah, namely the sefirah that hints to this Mizvah, and when the person studies the corresponding Mizvah or the chapter or the pericope or the verse, those letters will move and stir on high.

"And behold, the voices and the realities of the letters produced by the twist of the lips bestow on them a certain act and movement like that of a body. And the reality of the letters ascends and it is found everywhere on the way of their ascent from one aspect to another, following the way of the descending emanation from one stage to another."

-- Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, Or Yaqar vol. 12 p. 147 (transl. Idel in "Reification of Language in Jewish Mysticism" 1992)

Sefer haZohar on the Engraved Name of Rabbi Shim'on bar Yochai

"The blessed Holy One engraved the image of Rabbi Shim'on bar Yochai above and his voice ascends ever upward, and is crowned with the holy crown, until the blessed Holy One is crowned with him in all the worlds and is glorified through him. About him is written: 'And he said to me: You are my servant, Israel, in whom I glory' (Isaiah 49:3). From the day that the blessed Holy One created the world, Rabbi Shim'on bar Yochai was present before the blessed Holy One and was with him; and the blessed Holy One call him by His name."

 -- Sefer haZohar 3:61a

Talmud Bavli Berachot on All Torah Literature Given to Moses at Sinai

"And Rabbi Levi bar Chama said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: What is the meaning of that which is written: 'I shall give you the Tablets of stone, and the Torah, and the commandments which I have written, to teach them' (Exodus 24:12)? 'Tablets' - these refer to the Ten Commandments; 'Torah' - this refers to the Pentateuch; 'and the commandment' - this refers to the Mishnah; 'which I have written' - these refer to the Prophets and the Writings; 'to teach them' - this refers to the Gemara. The verse thus teaches that all of them were given to Moses at Sinai."

 -- Talmud Bavli, Berachot 5a

Midrash Rabbah Beresheet on Using Body Parts to Do Good Works

"Rabbi Levi said: There are six things that serve a person, three of them are under the person's control and three are not under his control. The eye and the ear and the nose are not under his control, for he sees what he does not wish to see, hears what he does not wish to hear, and smells what he does not wish to smell.

"The mouth and the hand and the foot are under a person's control. If the person wishes, his mouth can engage words of Torah, but if he wishes it can engage in malicious speech; if he wishes, his mouth can even disgrace and blaspheme God. Similarly, the hand can perform commandments, but if the person wishes, his hand can steal; or if he wishes, his hand can even commit murder. Likewise, the foot is under his control, for if he so wishes, his foot can go to the theaters and circuses, or if he wishes his foot can go to to temples and study halls."

-- Midrash Rabbah, Beresheet 67.3

Sefer haZohar on the Letters of the Forty-Two Letter Divine Name

"Here is a mystery for fathomers: One who wishes to set out on a journey should rise before dawn and gaze momentarily toward the east and he will see an apparition of letters striking the sky, one ascending, another descending. These are the sparkling of the letters with which heaven and earth were created.

"If, by the mystery of those letters, he knows the mystery of the Holy Name of Forty-Two Letters and invokes them fittingly with fervor, he will see in the glow of the foredawn in the sky six yods, three to the right and three to the left, and three vavs ascending and descending, sparking the sky ─ these are the letters of the priestly blessing. Then he should recite his prayer and set out on his way; surely Shekhinah is with him, preceding. Happy is his share!"

-- Sefer haZohar 2:130b (transl. D. Matt)

Talmud Bavli Berachot on Shekhinah Residing with Students of Torah

"Whence is it that the Holy One, blessed be He, is found in the synagogue? As it is said, 'God standeth in the godly congregation' (Psalms 132:1). And whence is it that when ten assemble for prayer the Shekhinah is in their midst? As it is said, 'God standeth in the godly congregation' (ibid.). And whence is it that when three sit and judge, the Shekhinah is in their midst? As it is said, 'In the midst of the judges, He judgeth' (ibid.). And whence is it that when two sit and occupy themselves with the study of the Torah, the Shekhinah is in their midst? As it is said, 'They that feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord hearkened and heard' (Malachi 3:16). And whence is it that even if an individual sit and occupies himself with the study of the Torah, the Shekhinah is with him? As it is said, 'In every place where I cause My name to be remembered I will come unto thee and bless thee' (Exodus 20:24)."

-- Talmud Bavli, Berachot 6a

Sefer haZohar on Aspiration of the Heart

"Happy are the righteous who know how to focus the aspiration of their hearts on the Holy King, and whose hearts' intention is not at all directed to this world and its vain desires; rather, they know and strive to direct their will and cleave above, drawing the will of their Lord to them from above to below. Where do they obtain the will of their Lord, drawing it to them? From a certain supernal holy place, whence issue all holy desires. And who is this? This is 'kol ish (every man)' ─ master of the house, whose desire is constantly for Matronita, like a man who loves his wife. Incessantly, his heart impels him ─ He loves Her, and his heart, His Matronita, is impelled to cleave to to Him."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:134b (transl. D. Matt)

Sefer haZohar (Ra'aya Meheimna) on Kabbalah Above Halakhah

"Just as fish must live in the sea, so the sages, the Masters of the Mishnah, must live in the Torah; if they are taken from it, they die immediately. The Tannaim of the Mishnah proliferate in it like the fish in the sea, yet if they are on dry land and are thrown into the sea, not knowing how to swim, they die. But Adam, who was the master of Kabbalah, which is above halakhah, is above all the Tannaim. It says of him: 'He will rule the fish of the sea and the birds of the air' (Genesis 1:26)."

 -- Sefer haZohar (Ra'aya Meheimnah), 3:278a

Tikkunei haZohar on Removing Kabbalah from the Oral Torah

"One who removes Kabbalah from the Oral Torah and the Written Torah, and discourages others from studying it, saying in effect, 'There is nothing but the simple meaning of the Torah and Talmud,' has diverted the flow of the river away from the Garden."

-- Tikkunei haZohar, 82a

Talmud Bavli Makot on the 613 Commandments of Torah

"Rabbi Simlai expounded: 613 commandments were related to Moses: 365 negative commandments, corresponding to the days of the solar year, and 248 positive commandments, corresponding to the number of parts of the human body. Rav Hamnuna said: Which verse teaches this? 'Moses commanded us the Torah as a heritage' (Deuteronomy 33:4). The numerical value of the word Torah is 611. To this we must add the first two of the Ten Commandments, 'I am YHVH your God' and 'You shall have no other gods', which we heard directly from the Almighty, and are thus distinct from the 611 commandments that we heard from Moses. All told, then, there are 613 mitzvot in the Torah."

 -- Talmud Bavli, Makot 23b

613 = 365 + 248 is probably the most important equation in Torah mathematics.

Every one of the 613 mitzvot is a fractal subspace of Torah, that is, it is resonantly self-similar to the overall 304,805-letters in the complete Torah codespace.
  

Sefer haZohar on Adam as the Supernal Chariot

"For He made the image of the chariot of the supernal Adam, He descends there, and is called in that image, YHVH, so that He might be recognized in all aspects."

-- Sefer haZohar (Ra'aya Meheimna), 2:42b (transl. Tishby)

The "image" is the pattern of the Tree diagram, in the shape of "supernal Adam", with the 22 paths of letters. "He" - this is Ain Sof - He descends into this "image", which is called YHVH. Yod - Keter & Hokhmah, the crown of the head and the left brain of Adam. Heh - Binah, the right brain of Adam. Vav - Hesed through Yesod, the torso, arms & legs of Adam. Heh - Malkut, the feet of Adam. In this single body, the chariot below upon which rests that which is above, "all aspects" are unified as one.

Mishnah Sotah on the Kohanic Blessing

"How is the Kohanim's Blessing pronounced? In the provinces, the Kohen pronounces it as three blessings, but in the Temple he pronounces it as one blessing. In the Temple, the Kohen pronounces the Name of God as it is written, but in the provinces he expresses it with its alternative pronunciation. In the provinces, the Kohanim raise their hands to should height while reciting the blessing, but in the Temple they raise their hands above their heads, except the Kohen Gadol, who does not raise his hands above the tzitz. But Rabbi Yehudah says: Even the Kohen Gadol raises his hands above the tzitz. We learn that the Kohanim are required to raise their hands for it is stated: 'And Aaron raised his hands toward the people and he blessed them' (Leviticus 9:22)."

-- Mishnah, Sotah 7.6

Midrash Mishlei on Studying Talmud

"A person who studied Talmud came before the divine judgment. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: 'My son, since you have occupied yourself in Talmud, have you also gazed upon the Merkavah? Have you looked upon My Throne of Glory? Have you beheld my Shi'ur Qomah? What is the measurement of My palm? What is the measurement of the toes of my feet?'"

-- Midrash Mishlei

The implication is that the study of the Talmud is a prerequisite for beholding the deeper mysteries of God. At the same time, it also says that discursive skill in Talmudic dialectics is not sufficient to penetrate to the deepest mysteries. Thus the passage simultaneously endorses and dissuades the student of Talmudic learning.

Talmud Yerushalmi Berachot on the Kohanic Blessing

"Rabbi Huna said: Regarding one who is in the presence of the Kohanim when they impart the three Kohanic blessings in the synagoge - when they recite the first blessing, he should say the verse 'Bless YHVH, O His angels, the strong warriors who do His bidding, to obey the voice of His word' (Psalms 103:20). When they recite the second blessing, he should say the verse 'Bless YHVH, all His legions, His servants who do His will' (Psalms 103:21). When they recite the third blessing, he should say the verse 'Bless YHVH, all His works, in all the places of His dominion; bless YHVH, O my soul' (Psalms 103:22).

-- Talmud Yerushalmi, Berachot 5a

Rabbi Moshe Cordovero on the Necessity of the Ten Sefirot

"It is incumbent upon the sefirot to be ten, neither nine nor eleven, since the upper number is the source of the sefirot, whereas its assemblage is their boundary and number."

-- Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, Eilimah Rabbati - Ein Kol 4:16 (transl. Z. Raviv in "Decoding the Dogma within the Enigma", 2007)

Sefer haZohar on Shir haShirim (Song of Songs)

"This song is a song encompassing the whole Torah, a song aroused by those above and those below, a song resembling the world that is entirely Sabbath, a song by which the supernal Holy Name is adorned. So it is Holy of Holies."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:143b (transl. D. Matt, Pritzker ed. vol. 5, p. 310)

This "song" is the Shir haShirim, the Song of Songs in the Ketuvim.

Compare with:

"The whole world is not worth the day on which the Shir haShirim (Song of Songs) was given to Israel; for all the Ketuvim (Writings) are holy, but the Shir haShirim is the Qodesh Qadoshim (Holy of Holies)." -- attributed to Rabbi Akiva in Mishnah, Yadayim 3:5

Introduction to This Blog

As I have been studying Torah literature over the past few years, I have been sharing my studies with friends on Facebook.  I have posted hundreds of quotes from the Torah, Zohar, Talmud, and the writings of the Kabbalists.  Unfortunately, they get lost on Facebook and there is no easy way to archive these posts for long-term storage.  I would really like to be able to review my studies later on down the road, as well as have a nice archive where I can find interesting passages later on in case I need them for citations.

This blog will probably not have any articles, but only quotations of passages from sundry Torah literature primary sources.  This will include the Torah (Chumash, i.e. Pentateuch), TaNaK, Mishnah, Gemara, Talmud, Midrash, Zohar, and the words of the sages and the Kabbalists.  I do also study the New Testament and the Qur'an, as well as Intertestamental literature.  Perhaps I will create a separate blog for these areas, but for now, since I focus mostly on Torah literature, I will use this blog as a repository and notebook for my study of Torah literature.