"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.
"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.
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