| From Reshit Hochmah by Rabbi Eliyahu Vidash | **ראשית חכמה לר' אליהו די וידאש (שער האהבה ד')** | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **And so** we learn from a story written by Rabbi Isaac of Acre, of blessed memory. He said: | **וְכֵן** נִלְמַד מִמַּעֲשֶׂה אֶחָד שֶׁכָּתַב הָרַב יִצְחָק דְּמִן עַכּוֹ זַ"ל. אָמַר: <br> | | One day, the king's daughter came out of the bathhouse, and a man from among the idlers at street corners saw her. He let out a great sigh and said, "Who will grant her to me, so that I may do with her as I please?" | כִּי יוֹם אֶחָד מִן הַיָּמִים יָצְאָה בַּת הַמֶּלֶךְ מִן הַמֶּרְחָץ, וַיַּרְא אוֹתָהּ אִישׁ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי קְרָנוֹת, וְיֵאָנַח אֲנָחָה גְּדוֹלָה וַיֹּאמֶר "מִי יִתֵּן אוֹתָהּ בִּרְשׁוּתִי לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּהּ כְּטוֹב בְּעֵינֵי." | | The king's daughter replied to him, "In the graveyard will this be, not here." | וְתַעַן בַּת הַמֶּלֶךְ וַתֹּאמֶר לוֹ, "בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת יִהְיֶה זֶה, וְלֹא הֵנָּה." | | When he heard her words, he rejoiced, thinking that she had invited him to go to the graveyard, where he would sit, and she would come to him there, and he would do with her as he wished. | כְּשֹׁמְעוֹ דְּבָרֶיהָ אֵלֶּה שָׂמַח כִּי חָשַׁב שֶׁאָמְרָה לוֹ לָלֶכֶת אֶל בֵּית הַקְּבָרוֹת וְלָשֶׁבֶת לוֹ שָׁם, וְהִיא תֵּלֵךְ אֶצְלוֹ וְיַעֲשֶׂה בָּהּ כְּטוֹב בְּעֵינָיו. | | [But this was not her intention; rather, she meant to say that it is precisely in the graveyard that the small and the great, the young and the old, the insignificant and the honorable, will all be equal. As it says (Job 3:19): "Small and great are there alike." *There*, everyone is equal. However, this was not possible *here*, for a king's daughter cannot be approached by a commoner from the masses.] | [וְהִיא לֹא לָזֶה נִתְכַּוְּנָה אֲבָל רָצְתָה לוֹמַר כִּי שָׁם דַּוְקָא יִשְׁווּ הַקָּטָן וְהַגָּדוֹל הַנַּעַר וְהַזָּקֵן הַנִּקְלֶה וְהַנִּכְבָּד (אִיּוֹב ג, יט) קָטֹן וְגָדוֹל שָׁם הוּא, שָׁמָּה יִהְיוּ שָׁוִים הַכֹּל, אֲבָל הֵנָּה לֹא, כִּי בַּת מֶלֶךְ לֹא יִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּקְרַב אֵלֶיהָ אֶחָד מִן הֶהָמוֹן.] | | The man arose and went to the graveyard, and he sat there, focusing the thoughts of his intellect on her. He constantly thought about her form, and out of his great desire for her, he stripped his thoughts of all sensory perception and immersed them entirely in the form of that woman and her beauty. Day and night, he continuously sat in the graveyard, eating and drinking there and sleeping there, for he said, "If she does not come today, she will come tomorrow." And so he did for many days. | **וַיָּקָם** הָאִישׁ הַהוּא וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶל בֵּית הַקְּבָרוֹת, וַיֵּשֶׁב לוֹ שָׁם וַיִּקְשֹׁר מַחְשֶׁבֶת שִׂכְלוֹ בָּהּ, וְתָמִיד יַחֲשֹׁב בְּצוּרָתָהּ, וּמֵרֹב חָשְׁקוֹ<br>בָּהּ, הִפְשִׁיט אֶת מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ מִכָּל מֻרְגָּשׁ, וְשָׁם אוֹתָהּ כֻּלָּהּ בְּצוּרַת הָאִשָּׁה הַהִיא וּבְיָפְיָהּ, וְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה תָּמִיד יֵשֵׁב בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת, וְשָׁם יֹאכַל וְיִשְׁתֶּה וְשָׁם יִישָׁן, כִּי אָמַר אִם לֹא תָּבֹא הַיּוֹם תָּבֹא לְמָחָר, כֵּן עָשָׂה יָמִים רַבִּים. | | And through his great detachment from all sensory matters, by continuously binding the thoughts of his intellect to one thing, through his isolation and complete desire, his soul became stripped of sensory attachments and returned to cling to perception of the intellect. Until, having detached from all sensory matters—even from the woman—his soul cleaved to God. Until finally, after some further days, his soul cast off all sensory perception, and cleaved to the divine intellect, until he returned to become a complete servant, a holy man of God, so that his prayers were heard and his blessings were effective for all travelers who passed that way. Merchants, riders, and pedestrians who crossed his path would turn to him and receive his blessings, until his name became known from afar. Thus far is his account as it pertains to our matter. | **וּמֵרֹב** פְּרִישׁוּתוֹ מִכָּל מֻרְגָּשׁ לִקְשִׁירַת מַחְשֶׁבֶת שִׂכְלוֹ בְּדָבָר אֶחָד תָּמִיד וְהִתְבּוֹדְדוּתוֹ וחשׁקו הַגְּמוּרָה, נִתְפַּשְּׁטָה נַפְשׁוֹ מֵהַמֻּרְגָּשׁוֹת וְשָׁבָה לְהִדָּבֵק בַּמֻּשְׂכָּלוֹת, עַד שֶׁמִּכָּל מֻרְגָּשׁ נִתְפַּשְּׁטָה וַאֲפִלּוּ מֵהָאִשָּׁה, וְדָבְקָה בַּשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, עַד שֶׁלְּיָמִים מוּעָטִים פָּשְׁטָה כָּל מֻרְגָּשׁ וְחָשְׁקָה בַּמֻּשְׂכָּל הָאֱלֹהִי, וְשָׁב לִהְיוֹת עוֹבֵד שָׁלֵם אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים קָדוֹשׁ, עַד שֶׁתְּפִלָּתוֹ נִשְׁמַעַת וּבִרְכָתוֹ פּוֹעֶלֶת לְכָל עוֹבְרֵי דְּרָכִים אֲשֶׁר יַעַבְרוּ דֶּרֶךְ שָׁם, וְסוֹחֲרִים וּפָרָשִׁים וְרַגְלִיִּים אֲשֶׁר יַעַבְרוּ דֶּרֶךְ שָׁם יַטּוּ אֵלָיו וִיקַבְּלוּ בִּרְכָתוֹ עַד שֶׁהָלַךְ שְׁמוֹ לְמֵרָחוֹק, עַד כָּאן לְשׁוֹנוֹ לְעִנְיָנֵנוּ. | | **And furthermore,** he elaborated there on the virtue of this interpretation, and Rabbi Isaac of Acre, peace be upon him, wrote there in the stories of the ascetics, that one who has not desired a woman is comparable to a donkey or worse than it. The reason is that from sensory experience, one must discern divine service, as we have explained, and through this, the meaning of the word _ḥefetz_ (desire) is understood in its fullness. | **וְעוֹד** הֶאֱרִיךְ שָׁם בְּמַעֲלַת הַפֵּרוּשׁ הַזֶּה, וְכָתַב שָׁם ה"ר יִצְחָק דְּמִן עַכּוֹ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם בַּמַּעֲשִׂיּוֹת הַפְּרוּשִׁים, שֶׁמִּי שֶׁלֹּא חָשַׁק לְאִשָּׁה הוּא דּוֹמֶה לַחֲמוֹר וּפָחוֹת מִמֶּנּוּ, וְהַטַּעַם כִּי מֵהַמֻּרְגָּשׁ צָרִיךְ שֶׁיַּבְחִין הָעֲבוֹדָה הָאֱלֹהִית כִּדְפֵּירַשְׁנוּ, וּבָזֶה יוּבַן פֵּרוּשׁ מִלַּת חֵפֶץ עַל מַתְכֻּנְתָּהּ. | | And from this we learn that one who desires the Torah so deeply, to the point that day and night they think of nothing from the matters of the world but only of it, will surely attain a wondrous elevation of the soul and will not require ascetic practices or fasts. For devotion depends solely on longing and love for the Torah, to the extent that one desires it as one desires their beloved. And also by consistently rising at midnight with such longing, as has been explained in its place with God’s help. | וּמֵהַמַּעֲשֶׂה הַזֶּה נִלְמָד שֶׁמִּי שֶׁיַּחְשֹׁק בַּתּוֹרָה כָּל כָּךְ עַד שֶׁבַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה לֹא יַחֲשֹׁב בִּדְבַר מִדִּבְרֵי הָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא בָּהּ, בְּוַדַּאי שֶׁיַּשִּׂיג מַעֲלָה נִפְלָאָה בְּנִשְׁמָתוֹ וְלֹא יִצְטָרֵךְ לִסְגוּפִים וְתַעֲנִיּוֹת, שֶׁאֵין הַדְּבֵקוּת תָּלוּי אֶלָּא בְּחֵשֶׁק וְאַהֲבַת הַתּוֹרָה עַד שֶׁיַּחְשֹׁק בָּהּ כְּאַהֲבַת חֲשׁוּקָתוֹ, וְגַם בְּהַתְמָדַת הַשְׁכָּמַת חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה בְּחֵשֶׁק כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בִּמְקוֹמוֹ בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם. |