חלק ב — תורה 15

3. This is the meaning of what Rabbi Zeira asked Rabbi Yehudah: What is the reason that a gamla (camel) is short-tailed and an ox is long-tailed?

Gamla— This alludes to the ordinary tzaddik, as in “nor did I pursue things too great or too wondrous for me… like a nursing child at its mother’s side” (Psalms 131:1, 2). For he conducts himself with simplicity and does not boast of great accomplishments All his devotions are the concept of silence, because he does not speak of great accomplishments and wonders, but instead is “like a GaMuL (nursing child) at its mother’s side”—i.e., the concept of GaMLa.

is short-tailed— This alludes to that which is written (Isaiah 9:14), “the prophet who gives false instruction, he is at the tail.” This refers to the charlatans, the concept of false prophets, whose attachment is solely to the great tzaddikim, as mentioned above. But to the ordinary tzaddikim, who are the concept of gamla, they have hardly any attachment. This is the meaning of “is short-tailed.” And this is:

an ox is long- tailed— This alludes to the great tzaddikim, the concept of “The firstborn of his oxen, grandeur is his,” as mentioned above. “Is long-tailed”— in other words, the main sustainment of “the prophet who gives false instruction,” namely, “the tail,” is from no one but them.

This is the meaning of what [Rabbi Yehudah] answered: Because it eats thorns. These ordinary tzaddikim, who are the concept of gamla, “eat thorns”—they eat and consume the thorns and thistles which surround the Supernal Rose. A “rose” represents holy speech, the concept of “his lips like roses…” (Songs 5:13). For [these tzaddikim] are occupied with Torah study and devotions day and night, consuming all the thorns so that they cannot sustain themselves from holy speech. They are unable to sustain themselves from the simple, unaffected devotions, as mentioned above, because they cannot impersonate them or practice their deception through them, since [these tzaddikim] conduct themselves solely with innocence and simplicity.

An ox is long-tailed because it resides in agamey (swamplands) and needs [a long tail] to swat at the bakey (gnats).

resides in agamey— That is, they receive their holy speech from the genuinely charitable, from the concept of “Who turns the rock into an agam (pool) of water,” as mentioned above. And this is:

it resides in swamplands and needs [a long tail] to swat at the BaKeY— This is the aforementioned concept of YaBoK. One has to expel the Yabok of charity given by the wicked, because in their case the Yabok is corrupted, and is deleterious for the tzaddik who receives his speech from them, as mentioned above. It is therefore a great benefit that “the prophet [who gives false instruction],” namely, “the tail,” draws sustenance from them. Through this, [the great tzaddikim] remove the wicked from themselves. They cause them to stumble by means of the aforementioned charlatans, because [the wicked] turn to them and give them the charity, thus saving the tzaddikim, as mentioned above.