Nefesh HaChayim, Gate IV

However, also deduce from it, from the matter of the two metaphors994As a storehouse and as a preservative to which our sages (OBM) likened it too in the matter of the Torah and fear/awe, the opposite of how some of the majority of the members of our nation erred, who make their regular practice, the entirety of their involvement with learning, with books of fear/awe and ethical guidance alone.

Just as in the matter of having the [availability of a] storehouse precede the grain that’s stored within it, would it enter a person’s mind that, because the central focus of the safeguarding and preservation of the grain is the storehouse, that he should involve himself full-time or most of his time, only with building the storehouse and never ever store grain in it? In the same way how could it enter a person’s mind to say that this is a person from Israel’s central purpose, that he should place his entire regular practice of learning in the building of the storehouse of fear/awe of heaven alone? It’s an empty storehouse, and he didn’t accomplish anything by his labor other than observing one commandment (D’varim 6:13): “Only God-YHV”H your God-Elohi”m shall you fear/awe”, and also, it doesn’t even deserve the name “storehouse” at all.

Our sages (OBM) didn’t intend by the statement mentioned above (“The Holy One (blessed be He) doesn’t have for himself… anything other than only a supply of fear/awe of heaven”) anything other than the specific fear/awe that within it is placed huge quantities of grains: mikra, mishna and halakhote and the rest of the Torah’s matters, for which fear/awe is their excellent storehouse. It ensures that they will be preserved in his domain, in good order and readily available, and engraved on the most accessible part of his heart/mind995Heb.: va-kha-roo-tim ahl loo-ahkh leebo; literally “engraved on the tablet of his heart/mind”, as is proven and necessarily derived from what is written: “The Holy One (blessed be He) doesn’t have for Himself in His world other than only four cubits of law”.

(And as is known at the root of the issue, the matter of the two qualities of Torah and fear/awe of God are among the supernal virtues996Heb.: ba-mee-dote ha-el-yo-neem, referring to the partzufim of Ze’er Anpin and Nookva. The aspect of fear/awe has nothing of its [fem.] own, for it [fem.] appears on the scene unencumbered997Heb.: n’kee-ya, which we render as “unencumbered” but could also be rendered as “poor”, “bare” or “clean”.. It [fem.] is only the storehouse, the receiving place, for the supernal abundance from the quality of Torah. And as is written (Chabakook 2:20): “and God-YHV”H is in His holy abode”, and refer to the Tikkoonim, Tikkoon 2 and 3998Rav Chayyim draws on the Vilna Gaon’s commentary on Tikkoonim 2 and 3..)

And this is what the text (Mishlei 15:16) stated: “Better a little with fear/awe of God-YHV”H than a great storehouse filled with confusion”.