Nefesh HaChayim, Gate I

And this is the reason that the angels who sanctify [God’s name] in the heights of the heavens wait to say the three-fold Sanctification216Heb.: K’doosha—the three-fold Sanctification that begins with the words: “Holy, holy, holy... .” until after we below say the three-fold Sanctification (as was discussed on Chapter 6 in the Annotations217Heb.: ha-ga-hote) even though their holiness is higher than our holiness. It’s not that they render honor to Israel [by waiting], but rather that it is not in their power to, by themselves, to open their mouths to sanctify their Former until the sound of Israel’s Sanctification rises to them from below.

For the context of the saying of the Sanctification involves the elevation of the worlds and their interconnection, each world with the world above it, to increase its holiness and the brilliance of its light.

Refer to the Heikhalot of parshat P’koodei,218Part of the Zohar the second Heikhal (247b, end) in the context of the holiness of the angels that results from the power of our saying the Sanctification. It says: “And those on the right say song and elevate the will above and say ‘Holy’, and those on the left say song and elevate the will above and say ‘Blessed’, ... and join together in holiness all those who know how to sanctify their Master in unification ..., and all are integrated with one another into one unit and become interconnected one with another until all are performing one connection and one spirit, and connect to those who are above so that all are one, integrated one with the other.”

And refer to the Pri Etz Chayyim in all of Chapter 3, from the Gate of the Repetition of the Ahmeeda, it’s explained there the intention of the matter of the saying of the Sanctification, that it is the elevation and interconnection of the upper worlds, to cause an increase in them via this addition of holiness and supernal light. (And it’s possible that from this resulted the custom in Israel to elevate themselves at the moment when they say the Sanctification219During certain parts of the K’doosha, it is currently a custom to rise from a full-footed position to tip-toes and then back down again..) And it is not in the power of any angel or seraph to start it by itself, as we said above. For this reason it does not open its mouth until the utterance from the mouths of Israel’s Sanctification ascends from those who are gathered below.

And if it would happen that all of Israel, from one extreme end of the world to the other, were silent (heaven forefend) from saying the Sanctification, automatically they too would be absolutely silenced from sanctifying their Sanctification. And refer to the Zohar Ba-lahk (190b). And this is what the prophet said (Yechezkel 1:24 and 25): “when they stood, their wings would stop,” saying that when Israel below stand silent, automatically the wings of the multitudes above are silenced, for the matter of their saying the Sanctification is also with their wings. And per the sages’ (OBM) words (Chagigah 13b): “one source says... which one of them220One verse in Y’shaya (6:2-3) says that angels have six wings while another in Yechezkel (1:6) says they have four. In Chagigah this is reconciled by saying the smaller number was after the Temple was destroyed, silencing one set of wings. The Talmud discusses which pair of wings was lost. was excluded? Rav Cha-nahn-el said in the name of Rav: “those with which they say song... .” And refer Zohar Chaddash Bereshit (13b, top): “(Yechezkel 1:24) ‘a noise of tumult... ‘”—that there however, they explained the word “wings” using another word root meaning “gang.”

And for this reason, the multitude of hosts above, are divided into groups. One says “Holy,” and those are the seraphim, as is written in the Heikhalot of Bereshit and P’koodei, in the second Heikhal there (42a, and there in 247a, end), and as is written (Yeshayahu 6:2): “Seraphim stand above Him... ,” “And one calls to the other and says: ‘Holy’... .” And a second group, opposite, praise and say: ‘Blessed’221Heb.: ba-rookh—The Sanctification consists of a first part that begins “Holy, holy, holy... ,” a second part: “Blessed is the glory of God-YHV”H from His place,” and a third part that begins: “God-YHV”H will reign forever... .”, and they are the Ophanim and the Chayyot, as our sages (OBM) wrote (Chullin 91a) at the beginning of the chapter Gid Ha-na-sheh: “Is there ‘Ba-rookh?’ Ba-rookh— the Ophanim are the ones who say it.” And as the Notables of the Great Assembly composed in the Sanctification of Yotzeir222The Sanctification of Yotzeir is part of the morning prayer service, found between Bor-khoo and the recitation of the Sh’ma. It begins after the Bor-khoo with the blessing that includes the words: “...forms the light” [Heb.: yotzeir or]. For details about its significance see the relevant section in siddur Chemdat Yisrael, edited by R. Shmuel Vittal, son of R. Chayyim Vittal. Also see the Ariza”l’s Sha-ar Ha-kavvanot, (Inyan Kavvanat Chazzarat Ha-Ahmeeda, D’roosh Bet, Gimmel and Dalet), where he describes the meaning and function of each of the prayer service’s sanctifications in its place., that each group sanctifies according to its source and root in the worlds.

In contrast, Israel, those who are gathered below, say both: “Holy” and “Blessed”, inasmuch as they integrate together all the sources and roots. And this is also the context of the saying of the Perek Sheera223Chapter of Song, that our sages (OBM) said: “All who say Perek Sheera224Perek Sheera (Chapter of Song) is the section of the liturgy that describes how each creation praises its Creator in its own manner. each day... ,” that when a person says it, that he integrates all [emphatically] of the powers, he gives power to the angels and the angels-assigned-to-all-the-creations225Heb.: sarim so that they may say these songs, and via this they draw their life force and flow so as to influence in all the lower beings. You can research this further in the Likootei Torah V’ta-ahmei Ha-mitzvote, in the section on V’et-kha-nan.