Nefesh HaChayim, Gate IV

And even more so, regarding true Torah innovations that are newly developed by people, there’s no limit to the value of the greatness of their awesome, wondrous and amazing contexts, and what they effect above. For each and every specific word that is innovated from a person’s mouth, the Holy One (blessed be He) kisses it [fem.] and crowns it [fem.], and from it is built a new, independent world, and they [emphatic] are “the new heavens and the new earth” that the scripture mentioned.

As is written in the introduction to the Zohar (4b): “Rabbee Shimon began: ‘And I placed My words in your mouth’ (Yeshayahu 51:16)—How valuable is it for a person to labor in the Torah day and night, for the Holy One (blessed be He) pays attention to the voices1035Aram.: le-kaw-lei-hoon of those who involve themselves with Torah, and from every word that they innovate in Torah by laboring in the Torah is made a single heaven. We learned that at the moment that words of Torah are innovated from a person’s mouth, that utterance ascends and is crowned before the Holy One (blessed be He), and the Holy One (blessed be He) takes that utterance and kisses it and crowns it with seventy1036The Ma-toke Me-d’vash explains that the seventy crowns come from the bottom seven s’feerote, each of which consists of ten s’feerote. carved and engraved crowns, and the wise utterance that was innovated ascends and alights upon the head…, and from there it flies and glides in seventy-thousand1037The seventy-thousand comes from the lower seven s’feerote of the partzoof of Arikh Anpin, in whose world (Ahtzeeloot) each s’feera is counted as a thousand. worlds and ascends to the Ancient of Days1038Heb.: Ah-teek Yo-min… . And that same sealed wise utterance that was innovated here, when it ascends, is connected to the utterances of the Ancient of Days, and then it ascends and descends with them, and enters into the eighteen worlds that have been hidden, that no eye has ever seen…, and they leave there and roam and arrive whole and complete, and testify before the Ancient of Days. Then the Ancient of Days hosts that word and it is welcomed before Him in all aspects. He takes that word and crowns it with three-hundred and seventy thousand1039The Ma-toke Me-d’vash explains that the three-hundred come from the top three of the ten s’feerote, while the seventy comes from the bottom seven. And in the world of Ah-tik Yo-min (Ahtzeeloot) each s’feera counts as a thousand. crowns. And that word roams and ascends and descends and becomes one heaven. And so it is that each and every wise word becomes heavens that exist in complete fulfillment before the Ancient of Days. And He calls them “the new heavens”…, recondite secrets of the supernal wisdom, and all the rest of the words of Torah that are innovated stand before the Holy One (blessed be He) and ascend and become the Lands of Life1040Heb.: ar-tzote ha-khayyim, and descend and are crowned…, and they are renewed and all of it becomes a new land from that specific utterance that was innovated in the Torah. And about this is written (Yeshayahu 66:22): ‘For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making will endure before me…’—It does not say ‘I made’ but rather ‘am making’, that He makes it now from those innovations and secrets of the Torah. And about this it is written: ‘I will place my words in your mouth… to plant the heavens and place the foundations of the earth…’. Rabbee Elazar stated: ‘What does “and with the shade of My hand I covered you” mean?’ He answered him…, and right now when that word ascends and is crowned and stands before the Holy One (blessed be He), He drapes over that word and covers that person… until from that word is made new heavens and a new earth… . ‘And to state to Zion: you are My nation…’—Don’t read it as “My nation”1041Heb.: ah-mee but rather as “with me”1042Heb.: ee-mee, to make you my partner, that just as I made the heavens and the earth with my words…, you do so too. Fortunate are those who labor in the Torah.”

And in parshat V-y’khee (243, top of first folio) is written: “‘The mandrakes yield their fragrance…’ (Shir Hashirim 7:14)—These are those that Reuven found… . ‘And at our doors are all kinds of delicacies’—They caused that there should be at the doors of the synagogues and study halls all kinds of delicacies, ‘new ones and old ones’. How many new and old words of Torah that are revealed via… . ‘My beloved I have hidden away for you’—From this we learn that anyone who makes an effort in Torah correctly, and knows how to explain words and to innovate words, those words ascend all the way to the throne of the King, and K’nesset Yisrael opens gates for them and stores them in the treasury. And when the Holy One (blessed be He) enters the Garden of Eden to amuse Himself with the pious ones, He brings them out before Him, and the Holy One (blessed be He) gazes upon them and is happy. Then the Holy One (blessed be He) crowns Himself with the supernal crowns and is happy…, and from that moment His words are written in a book… . Fortunate is the lot of one who is involved with Torah correctly. Fortunate is he in this world, and fortunate is he in the world-to-come.”

And in Tahna D’vei Eliyahu (Seder Eliyahu Rabba, chapter 18, page 84a1043The page number is for the Lewin-Epstein edition (Jerusalem, 1978), corresponding to page 93 of the Meir Friedmann edition that is based on manuscript Vatican MS 31.): “‘Along the banks of the stream will grow every type of food tree’ (Yechezkel 47:12)—And the text explains fully there that this refers to words of Torah. And it states there: ‘What is “and those who innovate/renew, He treats as a first-born”1044Heb.: la-kha-da-shahv y’va-keir. While la-kha-da-shav is often translated as “every new month”, Tahna D’vei Eliyahu interprets it as “to those who innovate/renew”. And while y’va-keir is related to the word b’khore (first-born), and in its usage here is usually translated as “it offers new fruit”, Tahna D’vei Eliyahu renders it as “treats as a first-born”. So according to this understanding, the phrase translates as “and those who innovate/renew, He treats as a first-born”.? It refers to those who innovate/ renew Torah, who innovate/renew the Torah each day continuously, to a son who is first born…, who innovates/ renews words of Torah that gladden everyone therewith…, a gladness that he renews for his Father each day…, …and to any place that they innovate/renew Torah, for when learning in the synagogue and when learning in the study hall, a joy is renewed for the Holy One (blessed be He), each day, continuously…’.” Refer there [for more details].