Nefesh HaChayim, Gate IV

And if (heaven forefend) we make only a weak effort to involve ourselves with it, the influence of the supernal light in all the worlds lessens (so to speak), each one [world] according to its relative position. And in the hidden places His soul-Neffesh cries (so to speak), as the sages (OBM) stated (Chagigah 5b): “There are three over whom the Holy One (blessed be He) cries”, and one of them is “one who could involve himself with Torah but doesn’t.” And they also said there: “These three expressions of tears, to what do they refer? …And there are some who say that one is for the neglect of Torah study1124Heb.: beetool Torah.” Woe to the child who causes his Father to weep each day. And the matter of this crying is the intensification of judgment, when the supernal light (which is the great compassion in the hidden worlds) is reduced.

And the person who has not yet perceived the light of Torah during his lifetime and never involved himself with it, does not in any way merit the supernal holiness to settle upon1125Heb.: sheh-tishreh ah-lahv k’doosha el-yo-na him, and does not merit the acquisition of a pure/undefiled soul-Neffesh. As is written in the introduction to the Zohar (12b): “The fifth mitzva… . In this verse there are three mitzvote. The first is to exert oneself with the Torah…, for when a person does not involve himself with Torah, he doesn’t have a holy soul-Neffesh, and the supernal holiness does not settle upon1126Aram.: sharya ahloy him... .”

And also, he is cast off and left to the judgmental powers of the Other Side1127Aram.: sitra ahkhra, so that they are able to have power over him, as the sages (OBM) stated in the first chapter of Berakhot (5a): “That anyone who has the opportunity to be involved with Torah and does not, the Holy One (blessed be He) visits upon him ugly afflictions, and he becomes fouled, as is stated (Tehillim 39:3): ‘I was silent in the face of good, and my pains made me ugly’.” And he causes the loss of a great good from himself and the entire world, for he tipped the scales of justice (heaven forefend) to the side of owing a debt for himself and the entire world. As the sages (OBM) stated in the D’vraim Rabba, at the beginning of parsha 4:2: “‘Hear… and don’t be haughty’ (Yirmiyahu 13:15)—Hear the words of Torah… . ‘And don’t be haughty’—Don’t prevent the good1128The phrase al tig-b’hoo in this context translates as “do not hold it aloft so that it can’t enter”. from entering the world.” And as they stated in the first chapter in Batra (8a): “That calamities only happen because of the ignorant. And if (heaven forefend) a calamity should befall an individual or a nation, even at the farthest reaches of the world, he caused it himself1129Aram.: dein g’ra-ma dee-lei”—may the Merciful (blessed be His name) save us!

And if he had previously been involved with it [fem.] and then separated from it [fem.] (heaven forefend), he lessens (heaven forefend) the power of the heavenly retinue, and the structures of the worlds and the holy vehicle are damaged and disordered, and the efforts of the other side are victorious (may the Merciful save us). And it’s as if the power of the supernal holiness, the imminent presence of the our fierce One, the Faithful one of Israel, is weakened and darkened, whose imminent presence is always among us as a result of involvement with Torah correctly.

As is written in Zohar T’rooma (155b): “Rabbee Cheeya began and stated: ‘For it is a time to act for God-YHV”H—they have breached your Torah’ (Tehillim 119:126)—Whenever the Torah is preserved in the world and people involve themselves with it [fem.], it’s as if the Holy One (blessed be He) is pleased with His handiwork, and pleased with the entire world, and both the heavens and earth are maintained in their existence… . But when Israel disrupts its relationship with Torah, it’s as if it lessens His power…, and then it is ‘a time to act for God-YHV”H’. And those in the world who are the remaining righteous ones must gird themselves to perform good deeds so that the Holy One (blessed be He) will be strengthened through them, the righteous… . For what reason? Because they “breached your Torah” and the people of the world do not involve themselves with it correctly… . And when Israel involves itself with Torah…, at that moment the reliable One1130I.e., the Sh’kheena is rectified in Her rectifications1131From the actions of those below in this world, and is ornamented in Her perfection1132From above. correctly. And when Israel disrupts its involvement with Torah, at that moment She is not in a rectified state and is not in a state of perfection, and not in the light. Then, about that is written: “It is a time to act for God-YHV”H”. What is “to act…”? Here too it is “a time to act”, [because] She remains unrectified and imperfect. Why? It’s because “they have breached your Torah”, because Israel below1133Aram.: Yisrael l’ta-ta, the Israel that is in this lowest, physical world. This contrasts with the Israel that manifests in the upper worlds. disrupted their relationship with the words of Torah. Because in each moment She is in the middle, and is either elevated by or descends based on Israel’s behavior.”1134This Zohar seems to state that the Sh’kheena’s relationship to the world depends on the character of Israel’s involvement with Torah.

And it’s as if he distances himself from Him (blessed be He), as is written in Zohar Va-yikra (21a) : “When a person distances himself from the Torah, he is distant from the Holy One (blessed be He)…”, because the Holy One (blessed be He) and the Torah are one, as explained previously.

And the supernal shield of holiness leaves him, and he becomes available to and recognized by the powers of judgment that he himself caused to become dominant, and now they can rule over him, both during his lifetime1135It seems as if this phrase is a fragment and should read “both during this lifetime and after his expiration from this world”. Rav Chayyim addresses “in this lifetime” immediately here. He deals with “after his expiration from this world” in the next chapter., as our sages (OBM) stated in the first chapter of Berakhot cited above. And it’s also found there (63a), and in Mishlei Rabta at the beginning of chapter 24: “Rabbee Tovia1136See [Visotzy 1983, Ph.D. thesis, JTS] for variations in this text. stated: ‘Anyone who applies himself weakly to words of Torah is unable to withstand the day of misfortune, because it says (Mishlei 24:10): “If you were weak in a day of affliction, your strength will become limited”’.” And in Perek Shtei Ha-leh-khem (M’nakhote 99b): “Anyone who safeguards the Torah1137Our editions have “his Torah”., his soul-Neshama is safeguarded. And anyone who does not safeguard the Torah…”. And in Midrash T’hillim (Mizmor 571138I could not find this quote in our editions of the Midrash Shokheir Tov.): “The Holy One (blessed be He) said to Israel: ‘If you safeguard the Torah, I will safeguard you, for it states (D’varim 11:22): “…if you will safeguard [emphatic]…”’.”

And as is well known from their (OBM) statement in Bereshit Rabba (parsha 65): “When the voice1139Heb.: ha-kol is the voice of Yaakov in the synagogues and study halls, the hands of Eisav do not dominate. When the voice of Yaakov weakens1140Heb.: hei-keil, then his hands dominate”—may the Merciful save us.

And they stated in Va-yikra Rabba (parsha 35:6) and in D’varim Rabba (at the beginning of parsha 4:2): “The sword and the book were given interleaved with each other… . The Holy One (blessed be He) stated: ‘If you safeguard what is written in the book, you’ll be saved from the sword. But if not…’.”

1141This paragraph is not found in many editions, including 1837 and 1873, but is in the 1824 first edition. And in the P’teekh-ta Eikha1142Midrash Rabba, Eikha P’teekha-ta 2 and in Tahna D’vei Eliyahu (Seder Eliyahu Rabba, chapter 18): “Under what circumstances can the hostile government1143Heb.: ha-mahl-khoot issue a decree1144A decree against Judaism and it succeeds? It’s when Israel casts the words of Torah to the ground. And this is what’s written (Daniel 8:12): ‘An army1145Heb.: tza-va will be assigned over the discontinuation of the daily offering, because of sin’—‘An army’ is a hostile government… . ‘Because of sin’ is the sin related to Torah. Whenever Israel casts the words of Torah to the ground, the government issues decrees and they succeed, for it is written: ‘It will throw truth to the ground…’. ‘Truth’ is none other than Torah… . If you throw the words of Torah to the ground, immediately the hostile government succeeds, and this is what is written: ‘…and it will achieve and prosper’.”

And furthermore they stated there that the Holy One (blessed be He) is [relatively] lenient regarding [punishment for the sins of] idol worship, illicit sexual relationships and murder, but never lenient regarding the rejection of Torah, for it stated (Yirmiyahu 9:11): “For what reason did the land perish?” It isn’t written [that it will perish] because of idol worship, illicit sexual relationships or murder. Rather (Yirmiyahu 9:12): “and God-YHV”H said: it is because they rejected my Torah”.

Continuing in the Tahna D’vei Eliyahu: “Observe how great is the power of sinning against the Torah, for Jerusalem and the Temple were not destroyed for any reason other than sinning against the Torah, for it stated…”.

And in Tahn-khooma B’sha-lahkh: “Just as it’s impossible…, so too it’s impossible for Israel to survive unless they involve themselves with words of Torah. And to the degree that Israel separates itself from Torah, to the same degree their enemy comes to oppose them… . And so you will find that the enemy comes only as a result of a lax effort with regards to Torah... .” Refer there [for more details].