| Sefer Mafteach Hasefirot - Parashat Balak | ספר מפתח הספירות - פרשת בלק | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1. And included in this matter is the idea that the beginning of prophecy for one who practices prophecy [מתנבא] is the combination of letters, interchanging one with another, until, for hir, the one letter is the other letter itself. | וּמִכְּלַל עִנְיָן זֶה הוּא שֶׁרֵאשִׁית הַנְּבוּאָה לַמִּתְנַבֵּא הוּא הֱיוֹתוֹ מְצָרֵף הָאוֹתִיּוֹת וּמֵמִיר אוֹתָם זוֹ בְּזוֹ וְזוֹ בְּזוֹ עַד הֱיוֹת אֶצְלוֹ הָאַחַת הִיא הָאַחֶרֶת בְּעַצְמָהּ. | | 2. Following this, the person practicing prophecy must enter a true understanding of the nature of all languages and the reason for their variations. And s/he should conceive of the 22 letters transformed into every shape, even those they do not take in actuality, but they could in potential. <br><br> | וְאַחַר זֶה יִכָּנֵס הָאִישׁ הַמִּתְנַבֵּא אֶל עִנְיַן הֱיוֹתוֹ מַכִּיר אֲמִתַּת מַהוּת הַלְּשׁוֹנוֹת כֻּלָּן וְסִבַּת הִתְחַלְּפוּתָן. וִיצַיֵּר כ"ב אוֹתִיּוֹת כְּמוֹת שֶׁהֵן מִשְׁתַּנּוֹת אֶל כָּל צִיּוּר שֶׁאֵינוֹ בָּהֶן (בְּפֹעַל) אֲבָל הוּא בָּם בְּכֹחַ. | | 3. And s/he will understand that a written letter is nothing but a mark originating from a point and extending into lines, sometimes nearly straight but inclining slightly, sometimes far from straightness and very much curving, and sometimes in between. Some lines ascend and some lines descend, some move forward and some move backward. | וְיָדַע שֶׁאֵין הָאוֹת הַנִּכְתָּב כִּי אִם צִיּוּר מַתְחִיל מִנְּקֻדָּה וְנִמְשָׁךְ אֶל קַוִּים, מֵהֶם יַשְׁאִירוּ (?) קְרוֹבִים לְיֹשֶׁר אֲבָל נוֹטִים מְעַט וּמֵהֶם רְחוֹקִים מֵהַיֹּשֶׁר וְנוֹטִים הַרְבֵּה וּמֵהֶם בֵּינוֹנִיִּים וּמֵהֶם שֶׁקַּוָּם עוֹלֶה וּמֵהֶם שֶׁיּוֹרֵד וּמֵהֶם הוֹלֵךְ לְפָנִים וּמֵהֶם חוֹזְרִים לְאָחוֹר. | | 4. And after this, s/he will know that this is the way of all natural forms. Just as a letter is written and erased, so too do things in nature come into being and perish. It follows that the spherical body, which is singular but composed of different parts, resembles a single book, which is composed of many elements. From there, s/he will ascend to understand the essence of the spoken word. From there, s/he will further ascend to knowledge of the essence of thought. And if s/he merits this, s/he will ascend further to the truth of the prophetic word. From there, prophetic levels will diverge, and the inner faculty will reveal the organs through verbal signs until the eyes perceive in tangible reality things that are felt by this individual alone in that state of consciousness, and yet remain hidden from others who are present with hir in the same place and grouped together closely with hir. | וְאַחַר זֶה יֵדַע כִּי זֶה דֶּרֶךְ צִיּוּר הַטְּבָעִים כֻּלָּם. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהָאוֹת נִכְתָּב וְנִמְחַק כֵּן הַטֶּבַע הוֹוֶה וְנִפְסָד. נִמְצָא שֶׁכַּדּוּר הַגּוּף הָאֶחָד הַמֻּרְכָּב בִּכְלָלוֹ, דּוֹמֶה לְסֵפֶר אֶחָד כָּתוּב בִּכְלָלוֹ, וְהוּא כֻּלּוֹ מֻרְכָּב מְעֹרָב מֵעִנְיָנִים רַבִּים. וּמִכָּאן יַעֲלֶה לָדַעַת מַהוּת הַדִּבּוּר הַנִּבְטָא. וּמִשָּׁם יַעֲלֶה עוֹד מַדָּע מַהוּת הַנֶּחֱשָׁב וְאִם יִזְכֶּה לְכָךְ עוֹד אֶל אֲמִתַּת הַדִּבּוּר הַנְּבוּאִיִּי. וּמִשָּׁם תִּפָּרֵדְנָה הַמַּדְרֵגוֹת הַנְּבוּאִיּוֹת, וְהַכֹּחַ הַפְּנִימִי יְגַלֶּה הָאֲבָרִים בְּסִימָנִים דּבריּים עַד שֶׁהָעֵינַיִם תִּרְאֶינָה בַּמְּצִיאוּת הַמֻּרְגָּשׁ דְּבָרִים מֻרְגָּשִׁים לְאִישׁ זֶה לְבַדּוֹ בְּאוֹתָהּ דַּעַת וְנֶעֱלָמִים מִזּוּלָתוֹ מֵהַיּוֹשְׁבִים עִמּוֹ בְּמָקוֹם אֶחָד וּבְדֹחַק אֶחָד. | | 5. All the more so will this happen to the one who practices prophecy when the spirit rests upon hir while hir mind is focused on the Torah which is a combination [of letters] in hir eyes. For wondrous lights will be revealed to hir in it, time after time, and the one who practices prophecy will recognize that this occurs only when hir eye (or focus) is fixed upon it. Similarly, it will happen with hir ears, which will hear matters from within and without, which none other than s/he can hear, even when they are near to hir [or "because God is close to hir"]. | וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁיִּקְרֶה זֶה לַמִּתְנַבֵּא, בִּשְׁרוֹת עָלָיו הָרוּחַ עִם עַיְּנוֹ בַּתּוֹרָה הַמְּצֹרֶפֶת בְּעֵינָיו. כִּי יִתְגַּלּוּ לוֹ בָּהּ מְאוֹרוֹת מֻפְלָאִים עֵת אַחַר עֵת וְיַכִּיר הַמְּנַבֵּא שֶׁלֹּא יִקְרֶה לוֹ זֶה כִּי אִם בְּעֵת עַיְּנוֹ בָּהּ. וְכֵן יִקְרֶה לְאָזְנָיו שֶׁיִּשְׁמְעוּ עִנְיָנִים מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ שֶׁאֵין זוּלָתוֹ שׁוֹמְעָם עִם הֱיוֹתוֹ קָרוֹב לוֹ. | | 6. Likewise, every limb of hir body will reveal to hir, according to the power inherent within it, matters both internal and external. Just as every letter and every word can convey to the one who understands a meaning that s/he comprehends, even though the letter and the word are neither alive nor speaking, yet they appear to one who sees them and understands them as though they were living speaking beings. Similarly, written letters that are mailed, and contracts, and books, all clearly demonstrate that even through they are not alive and do not speak, they are similar to living speaking beings. | וְכֵן כָּל אֵבֶר מֵאֲבָרָיו יַרְאֶה לוֹ כְּפִי כּוֹחוֹ הַמֻּטְבָּע בּוֹ מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּל אוֹת וְכָל תֵּבָה תּוֹרֶה לַמֵּבִין דָּבָר שֶׁיְּבִינֵהוּ אע"פ שֶׁאֵין הָאוֹת וְהַתֵּבָה חַיִּים וְלֹא מְדַבְּרִים, וְהִנֵּה שָׁבוּ אֵצֶל רוֹאֵיהֶם וּמְבִינֵיהֶם בִּדְמוּת חַיִּים מְדַבְּרִים. וְהַכְּתָבִים הַנִּשְׁלָחִים וְהַשְּׁטָרוֹת וְהַסְּפָרִים לְעֵדִים בְּרוּרִים שֶׁאֵינָם חַיִּים וְלֹא מְדַבְּרִים וְדוֹמִים לַחַיִּים הַמְּדַבְּרִים: |