Da'at Tevunot

Said the Intellect - we will discuss this further with the help of heaven. Now let us complete our subject. Behold this refining is the essential action for the soul in this world, and after this it has other matters, and this is not the place to explain them. And on this matter they said (Zohar, section 1, Midrash haNeelam[the concealed Midrash], 115a), "Rav Chiya said "Come see - until the body stands in this world it is deficient in the payment from after it is righteous and went in the straight paths and died in its straight state - it is called Sarah in its payment". And behold this is the entire fruit of its righteousness - the elevation of the glory of G-d may He be blessed, which is elevated in the perfection of His creations, for all was created for his glory, and this is all that is born from the act of good relative to the heavens, for which reward was established from above, for it is like serenity which was made before Him may He be blessed, so shall it be done for him:

But Sin causes - the sin of Adam, to pass the cup of death upon all creations, and there is no hope. Therefore the power of the soul does not stop doing this refinement before death, and this is the matter of the righteous who died only due to the advice of the snake, per their saying, may their memory be blessed (Bava Batra 17a), that they couldn't be perfected even through the plethora of their actions without this. But after the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the filth which the snake imposed upon Eve is removed from it entirely, until it returns and is rebuilt - will descend into it the soul with all the strength of its good deeds and the radiance of the heavenly light from which it derived benefit in Gan Eden according to its actions, and will illuminate within its body a great light, through which it will be refined entirely, and will return and heal it from all of the negativities that were made a liability for them from the beginning. And this matter is explained in the Midrash haNe'elam[concealed Midrash], Parshat v'yera, and this is its language "said our Rabbis may their memory be blessed - the soul, while it is still in its heights is sustained by the light from above, and is garbed in it, and when it enters into the body in the future to come - with this light itself shall it enter...etc.", see there. And in addition there (117a), "the Holy One blessed is He inserts this body under the ground until it decays completely and removes from it all of the bad filth", see there:

And behold we now have the matter of the service of man and the matter of receipt of his reward, they are two periods which comprise all of his existence. For now in this world behold the body is coarse and dark with deficiencies, and it is for the Soul to strengthen it enlightenment and sanctification to refine it and to illuminate it. And when this refinement is completed - this is the time of receipt of the reward, for they will be together to receive good reward for all days:

And indeed, what needs to be understood now is the measure of the strength of the soul which is given to it to and within this body. And this, for if its strength was great and its light very powerful - certainly it would give so much great illumination to the body that it would elevate it in its existence, and its deficiencies would be completed in one moment, and the evil inclination - it is essential in the deficiencies which the Master may he be blessed wanted for the purpose of free will and reward and punishment - behold would not rule over man at all, as it does not rule over angels because of the abundance of their illumination and the perfection of their knowledge and importance. You should know that in the future it says (Isaiah 11:9), "They shall not do evil nor corrupt throughout my holy mountain for the land will be filled with knowledge"; and at that same time it says (Ezekiel 36:26), "and I shall remove the heart of stone from their flesh...", to the greatness of the elevation of the soul which will be greater in that time. And indeed from another aspect, behold if the soul were in its essential existence of lowliness and not greatness, it would not be able to stand in the face of the glory and greatness which will be done to it in the future, to be greater than the angels of service:

ּBut the matter is, that the soul in its existence and root is very very great, but in order for it to come into this body - behold the Holy One blessed is He diminished its light and strength, and left for it only that measure which is appropriate for the body in this world. And behold it is in that time period like the moon where it says to it (Chullin 60b), " Go and diminish yourself", and in the future (Isaiah 30:26), "And the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun". And behold in its hand is goodness - to elevate from elevation to elevation until he highest strength, according to the perfection of its actions. And behold according to the diminution of power which was given to it in this world, it stands closing and closed within the cloudy body throughout the days of its service, to be tested and examined with the trials of the evil inclination, for it is for this that it was placed within man, and like their saying may their memory be for a blessing, (Zohar section 1, 106b) "The evil inclination was not made other than to test man with it". And according to the aptitude of its actions - so does it merit for itself elevation, to rise from level to level. And behold in the time of the reward then the events of all of the souls activates them, and elevates them according to their actions, and in this level of elevation will they return and refine their bodies in the time of the resurrection, and they will enjoy the plethora of peace forever, as we explained above:

There is a practical difference to it - that the soul needs a great root from its aspect of self and its source needs to be honorable to a great degree, such that it will be deserving of all the preciousness which it will have in the future. but it is lowered, to strengthen it and for its own good in the end, when the Master blessed is He puts upon it his rule, "go and diminish yourself, in order to enter this murky body, and to be in it all of the days of its life of vanity. And there he placed for it rule and law - all of this Torah to serve it and to guard it, these are the things which are relevant to it while it is in the body. But indeed, because its strength and abundant light were already weakened with this diminution, the body remains murky as it is today, even though it [the soul] is within it. But according to the righteousness of its actions is it judged in the future, in its elevation in the levels of its steps, where when it comes a second time into the body in this new light, behold that which it is unable to do now will be done to it, and this is that it shall refine it a complete refinement, to return it to essential honor and illumination as we explained. For that which is from the beginning, in order that it come into the body, it was necessary to diminish its light, behold that in coming this second time, it is just the opposite, it will come with all light, in order to do the complete refinement as is appropriate

And here now is a benefit for the soul itself in the completion of the body - to elevate it from height to height, and to add strength on strength and glory to glory. And not this alone, rather even at the time that it is in this world within the body - it has elevation and advantage according to its actions, for the soul of a man who is occupied with Torah and Mitzvot and obtains knowledge of the glory of its owner is not similar to a soul absent from man. But its elevation cannot reach a point where it can change the body, such that it would be refined in a way visible to the eye, except for the few in number, the remnant chosen by G-d, like Moshe our teacher may he rest in peace, Enoch and Elijah. Excepting them, even though it [the soul] achieves advantage from its actions, it will not achieve so much that it would be seen also in the body. However goodness will not be withheld from their owners in the future, each according to their actions: