| The Book of the Life of the Soul -- Secret 11 | ספר חיי הנפש -- סוד י"א | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | And behold, know that four letters were chosen from these to be a name for God, may He be blessed, and they are the letters אהו"י. This is because among all the letters, there are no others as pleasant to pronounce as these. And the hidden matter is such that from it, another hidden matter can be understood. Although these too are revealed, they are nonetheless considered both revealed and concealed, which is not the case with other letters. | וְהִנֵּה תֵּדַע שֶׁנִּבְחֲרוּ מֵאֵלֶּה ד' לִהְיוֹתָם שֵׁם לָאֱלוֹהַּ יִת', וְהִנָּם אוֹתִיּוֹת אהו"י. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין בְּכָל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת, אוֹתִיּוֹת אֲחֵרִים שֶׁהֵם נְעִימִים בִּקְרִיאָתָם כָּאֵלֶּה. וְהַדָּבָר הַנֶּעֱלָם דִּין הוּא שֶׁמִּמֶּנּוּ יוּבַן נֶעְלָם אַחֵר. ואע"פ שֶׁגַּם אֵלֶּה גְּלוּיִים גַּם כֵּן, וְהִנֵּה גַּם אֵלֶּה יִקָּרְאוּ נִגְלִים וְנִסְתָּרִים, מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן בִּשְׁאָר אוֹתִיּוֹת. | | Know that the body is revealed, and the soul is concealed, and their connection is together. The world is a revealed body, and its soul, metaphorically, is concealed, and it is the First Cause, which is God, and just as the body has its own special concealed soul, and it is called unique one (yehida), and it comprises many powers, good and evil, and they all serve that one particular soul, similarly, the revealed world has a unique concealed soul, called divinity, which also has many forces, good and evil—namely, angels and demons—all serving the Almighty, and they too are almost as concealed as S/He is. | וְתֵדַע כִּי הַגּוּף נִגְלֶה וְהַנְּשָׁמָה נִסְתֶּרֶת וְהִנֵּה חִבּוּרָם יַחַד. וְהָעוֹלָם גּוּף נִגְלֶה וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל נִסְתֶּרֶת וְהִיא הַסִּבָּה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה הוּא הָאֱלוֹהַּ יִת' שְׁמוֹ. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לַגּוּף הַנִּגְלֶה נְשָׁמָה מְיֻחֶדֶת נִסְתֶּרֶת, וְהִיא הַנִּקְרֵאת "יְחִידָה" וְיֵשׁ לוֹ ג"כ כּוֹחוֹת רַבִּים טוֹבִים וְרָעִים, וְהֵם כֻּלָּם שַׁמָּשִׁים לַנְּשָׁמָה הַיְּחִידָה וְהֵם נִסְתָּרִים כִּמְעַט כָּמוֹהָ. כֵּן יֵשׁ לָעוֹלָם הַנִּגְלֶה נְשָׁמָה מְיֻחֶדֶת נִסְתֶּרֶת הִיא הַנִּקְרֵאת אֱלָהוּת וְיֵשׁ לָהּ כּוֹחוֹת רַבִּים טוֹבִים וְרָעִים ר"ל מַלְאָכִים וְשֵׁדִים וְהֵם כֻּלָּם שַׁמָּשִׁים לְשַׁם יתברך וְהֵם נִסְתָּרִים ג"כ מִמֶּנּוּ כִּמְעַט כָּמוֹהוּ. | | Therefore, it is necessary for our language to refer to the essential name with letters that are both revealed and concealed, as this is the nature of the existence of all essences—some aspects are revealed, and some are concealed. And when you focus on the name אהו"י alone, it remains such that you will contemplate and understand that among all the names, none can be understood like these, for they were the foundation of your creation, without a doubt, as the soul of אהו"י exists in all. | וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה חֻיַּב אֵצֶל לְשׁוֹנֵנוּ שֶׁיִּקָּרֵא שֵׁם הָעֶצֶם בַּשֵּׁם שֶׁאוֹתִיּוֹתָיו נִגְלִים וְנִסְתָּרִים, שֶׁכֵּן כְּלַל מְצִיאוּת הָעֲצָמִים, מֵהֶם נִגְלִים וּמֵהֶם נִסְתָּרִים. וְהִנֵּה בַּהֲשִׂימְךָ שֵׁם אהו"י לְבַדּוֹ, נִשְׁאַר מִן הָאוֹתִיּוֹת כָּךְ שֶׁתִּשְׂתַּכֵּל וּמִזֶּה תָּבִין שֶׁאֵין בְּכָל הַשֵּׁמוֹת שֶׁתָּבִין כְּמוֹ אֵלֶּה, וּבָהֶם נִבְרֵאת. בְּרֵאשִׁית יְצִירְךָ בְּלֹא סָפֵק מִפְּנֵי הֱיוֹת נִשְׁמַת אהו"י בְּכָל. | | Know that all your soul comes from God, and your breath (נשימה) is from God. Just as there is divinity in the world, so too there is divinity in them. | וְדַע כִּי כָּל נִשְׁמָתְךָ מֵאֱלוֹהַּ, וּנְשִׁימָתְךָ מֵאֱלוֹהַּ, וְכַאֲשֶׁר יֵשׁ בָּעוֹלָם אֱלָהוּת כֵּן יֵשׁ בָּהֶם גַּם כֵּן אֱלָהוּת. | | | |