Nefesh HaChayim, Gate IV

And based on the size of the storehouse of fear/awe that a person has prepared for himself, so too according to that measure will be able to enter inside of him, and to be safeguarded within him, and to be preserved within him, the grain of the Torah, based on how much his storehouse can hold.

For the father who gives out shares of grain to his children, he gives each one a measure of grain based on the capacity of the storehouse the child has prepared beforehand for this purpose. For even if the father should desire and is ready to give him a lot, if however the child isn’t able to receive any more as a result of his storehouse not being large enough to hold more, right now the father also isn’t able to give him more. And if the child didn’t prepare for himself even a small storehouse, so too the father will not give him anything, because he doesn’t have a secure place in his domain where it will be preserved.

So is it with Him (blessed be His name): His hand (so to speak) is open to always impress upon each person of his treasured nation much wisdom and boundless understanding, so that they should preserve it in their domains, and bind it to the most accessible part of their heart/mind979Heb.: v-yik-sh’reim al loo-ahkh lee-bahm—Literally: “upon the tablets of their heart/minds”. Loo-ahkh is the same word used in “two tablets of the covenant”, where “tablet” means a surface that can be seen and read. I interpret this phrase to refer to the most accessible part of the heart/mind., for them to enjoy when they arrive in the world of repose980Heb.: l’o-lahm ha-m’noo-kha, having what they learned available to them.

However, the matter depends on the storehouse of fear/awe that a person prepares. For if he prepared for himself a great storehouse of pure fear/awe of God, so too God will give him wisdom and understanding in great abundance based on what his storehouse can hold—[*] it completely depends on the capacity of his storehouse.

And if a person didn’t prepare even a small storehouse, that he doesn’t have within him any fear/awe of God (heaven forefend), then too He (blessed be His name) won’t impress upon him any wisdom at all, for it will not be preserved in his domain, for his Torah is repulsive (heaven forefend), as our sages (OBM) stated.

And regarding this the text (Tehillim 111:10) stated: “The beginning of wisdom is fear/awe of God-YHV”H”. And as it’s written in the introduction to the Zohar (7b): “Rabbee Cheeya began: ‘The beginning of wisdom is fear/ awe of God-YHV”H…’—This text should have stated ‘the end result of wisdom is…’981Rabbee Cheeya suggests that perhaps fear/awe of God arises only after wisdom is acquired.. Rather, it [fem.] is the first to enter within the level of supernal wisdom…, the first gate to the supernal wisdom is fear/awe of God-YHV”H982Rabbee Cheeya asserts that fear/awe of God is the first manifestation of, and the initial entry way into supernal wisdom. We can interpret the verse such that awe/fear of God refers to the s’feera of Malkhoot, the lowest s’feera. We get this from the verse (Mishlei 31:30): “ee-sha yir-aht YHV”H, hee tit-ha-lahl” (a woman who fears/is-in-awe of God-YHV”H, she shall be praised), which refers to Malkhoot. When we begin to approach Chokhma from below to draw spiritual energy from it, the first s’feera we encounter is Malkhoot..” Refer there [for more details].

So it’s clear that even though fear/awe is one commandment, and they stated in the Yerushalmi (beginning of Pei-ah) that the sum total of all the commandments are not equal in worth to one word from the Torah, however the commandment of acquiring fear/awe from Him is very, very great from the perspective that it is a prerequisite for the primary purpose of preserving and safeguarding the holy Torah. And without it it’s even considered repulsive in the eyes of others. For that reason it’s required to be in a person’s domain first, before involvement with Torah.

Annotation: And in this way is explained their (OBM) statement at the beginning of Perek Ha-ro-eh983Berakhot 55a: “The Holy One (blessed be He) does not award wisdom except to one who [already] has wisdom within him, for it’s stated (Sh’mote 31:6): ‘and in the heart/mind of everyone who has a wise heart/mind I have placed wisdom’, ‘He gives wisdom to the wise’ (Daniel 2:21)”. And on the face of it this is surprising, for if it is so, how could the initial wisdom be found in a person’s domain?

However the matter is that it’s written explicitly that fear/awe is also called wisdom, as it is written (Iyyov 28:28): “Yes, fear/awe of God-ADN”Y, she is wisdom”. And it’s for the reason mentioned above, that it [fem.] is the good storehouse for wisdom, within which it will be safeguarded and preserved. And this is what they stated, that the Holy One (blessed be He) does not award nor impress the supernal wisdom of Torah so that it should be preserved in his domain and that this learning should be available to him, except to one who [already] has wisdom within him, namely a storehouse of fear/awe that is a necessary prerequisite in a person’s domain, as described above.

(And a person of deep understanding will understand the inner meaning of their (OBM) statement in consonance with our approach, according to the secrets of the Zohar and the writings of the Ariza”l, who stated that the supernal wisdom is revealed only via the aspect of His (blessed be He) sovereignty984Heb.: mal-khoo-toe, specifically accepting the yoke of the sovereignty of heaven985Heb.: ol malkhoot sha-ma-yim.)

And in this way will also be understood that we found that the rabbis (OBM) stated:“The Holy One (blessed be He) doesn’t have for Himself in His world other than only four cubits of law” (Berakhot 8a). And in perek Ein Ome-deen (33b) they stated: “The Holy One (blessed be He) doesn’t have for Himself in his treasury anything other than only a supply of fear/awe of heaven”. And according to our thesis, in truth all of them are identical, and for that reason they stated a supply of fear/awe of heaven”. This completes [their words].