אמתטריקס

Free Choice Parashat Bo – Me'or Einayim The famous question that the commentators raised: how was choice taken from him [Pharaoh], when it ought to have been free? According to our approach, let us pay attention to the precise word "these" in the verse "that I may set these signs of Mine in his midst" (Exodus 10:1) — as if pointing with a finger at the signs, that these are the ones before his eyes. But in truth the matter of the Exodus from Egypt was not for what his eyes saw; rather, da'at (knowledge, awareness) was in exile with Pharaoh. For the people — even the Children of Israel — did not know Hashem. Even though they had it by tradition from their holy forefathers, the fathers of the world, nevertheless, since they were the fourth generation, the true knowledge had been forgotten by them — the knowledge of which King David, peace be upon him, said to his son Shlomo (I Chronicles 28:9), "Know the God of your father." And this was the essence of the exile: that da'at was in exile in Egypt. Therefore the wicked Pharaoh said, "Who is Hashem…" (Exodus 5:2), for he denied the fundamental principle, believing only in sorcery, for he was a great sorcerer; and he did not know Hashem, for it is written, "There is none besides Him" (Deuteronomy 4:35) — and even sorcery, which "contradicts the heavenly household," has no ability to act without the will of Hashem, blessed be He, as explained in the Talmud in the story of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa (Chullin 7b). Therefore, when Hashem, blessed be He, wished to redeem His people, the Children of Israel, from Egypt, so that they would have true knowledge, and to show that Hashem is God (Elohim) — that He is mighty, the Master of ability and the Master of all powers — He said, "that I may set (shiti) these (eleh) signs of Mine in his midst." Because he denied the fundamental principle on account of a lack of da'at and said, "Who is Hashem?", "I will join these (eleh) signs of Mine in his midst" — that is, [the knowledge] that was in exile with him — and through this combination the word Elohim will be complete, and it will be known that Hashem is God, that He is mighty and the Master of ability, and there is none besides Him, not even sorcery, as said. And with this the commentators' question above is explained. For the essence of choice is what the verse said (Deuteronomy 30:15), "See, I have set before you today life and good…", "and you shall choose life" (ibid., 19). And with what shall a person choose the good over the bad, if not with da'at? When a person has da'at to distinguish between good and bad, then he can choose the good and reject the bad. Now in the Egyptian exile da'at was in exile, as said, and there was not then complete choice with complete da'at; for this is the essence of the Exodus from Egypt — that da'at went out of exile, and choice could exist with da'at. Not so in exile: when da'at was with him in Egypt, then choice too could not exist. If so, choice was not taken from Pharaoh at all, for choice did not yet exist, as above; for it came into being afterwards, when they went out of Egypt and da'at went out of exile — then there was something for choice to rest upon, as said. And with this the question of the Rambam will also be explained — and it is explained in the Zohar Chadash in the name of an early authority — regarding the matter of choice being given to a person freely, and the knowledge of Hashem, blessed be He: how can both exist as one? But indeed, as we have said, the essence of choice is in da'at: when a person knows Hashem with complete da'at, then choice is relevant; whereas without da'at choice is not relevant. That being so, choice and knowledge are all one. For with what does a person choose? Is it not with da'at? And the da'at of Hashem, blessed be He, is the choice. If so, this is the very knowledge of the Creator, blessed be He, that He knows the choice; and they are not matters that contradict each other, but all is one, as above. Understand this. However, what is explained in the Talmud — "A person does not commit a transgression unless a spirit of folly enters him" (Sotah 3a) — refers to another matter. For it is known what the verse said, "and the righteous shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4): sometimes a person falls from da'at, and this is by way of a trial from the Creator, blessed be He — da'at is taken from him to see whether he will stand in the ways of Hashem. Nevertheless, the righteous holds to his way by his faith; and even though da'at is taken from him, he nevertheless goes and grows stronger in the ways of Hashem. Not so if he does not have faith: then, when he falls from da'at and a spirit of folly enters him, he may commit a transgression, Heaven forbid. This is what our Sages, of blessed memory, intended when they said, "A person does not commit a transgression unless a spirit of folly enters him" — meaning that he falls from da'at by way of a trial. But in the Egyptian exile they did not have da'at at all, and choice was then not relevant, as said. And this is because da'at was in katnut (smallness, immaturity) — meaning, they were in da'at like a small child who has no da'at; and therefore it is said in the Talmud, "A minor has no [legally effective] thought." And this is what the verse further says, "and that you may tell… what I have wrought (hit'alalti) in Egypt" (Exodus 10:2) — from the expression olel veyonek (infant and suckling), as if to say "how I made Myself small in Egypt," meaning that da'at was in smallness in Egypt. And afterwards it says, "and you shall know that I am Hashem" — meaning that they would have complete da'at when they went out of Egypt, to know Hashem with da'at. (Me'or Einayim – Bo) Therefore, from the simple you will understand the intellectual matters too, in this way. For the early authorities, among them the Rambam, of blessed memory, asked: since everything is foreseen and revealed before Him, blessed be He, who looks at the end of a matter from its beginning, then at the time a person is formed He sees whether he will be righteous or wicked, and His knowledge certainly will not change. If so, how is permission given to a person to have choice for good and bad, since His knowledge, blessed be He, has already decreed how it will be, and it will not change? But the matter is this: it is known that the essence of the choice between good and bad derives from the shevirat hakelim (the shattering of the vessels), for He, blessed be He, was "building worlds and destroying them," which is the secret of the shattering of the vessels — those are the worlds mentioned. Through this, [sparks] from the supernal holy middot (attributes) fell in the shattering, so that a mixture of good and bad was formed; and through this, choice came into being, to choose whichever of the two ways one wishes, so that there would be reward and punishment. For without this He, blessed be He, would have no delight from the service of the lower beings, the Children of Israel. For the whole essence of the delight of the Creator, blessed be His Name, and His creation of the worlds, is for the sake of Israel — that He may delight in their service, that they serve Him even though they are "formed of clay" (Job 33:6), in a mixture of good and bad. But if there were no evil, they would have no superiority over the angels and all the host on high who serve Him, since among them there is no evil at all. And it is known that the cause that brings to choice — to choose one way out of good and bad — is da'at. For "if there is no da'at, whence distinction (havdalah)?", as we find in the Gemara (Berachot 33a): why did they institute Havdalah in [the blessing] "Who graciously grants knowledge (da'at)"… And through da'at each one chooses according to his da'at, as his da'at inclines him — to one of the extremes, or to be in the middle, on the middle way, in the mixture of good and bad. If so, da'at is the essence of choice, since its root is from it. And it is known that da'at is one of the middot of the Holy One, blessed be He, which has a root above in the supernal Da'at; but each one, according to what kind of person he is, so is his da'at. And there is one whose da'at too is in a state of shattering, and he must strive to rise from da'at to the root of da'at, the supernal Da'at, which is (I Chronicles 28:9) "Know the God of your father and serve Him," in order to merit great da'at, which is the aspect of Moshe, as is known. And likewise with all the middot that are in shattering: he should look to the root, from where its root is, and lift it too to its root, to make a single unity. For example, if some bad love comes to him, he should think: "Surely this has fallen from the holy World of Love." And through this he will serve Hashem with love, with the arousal of the trait within him, and he will begin to love Him, blessed be He, with a strong love; and therefore the evil falls away, and the good is sifted out into its root in the World of Love. As the Baal Shem Tov, may his soul rest in Eden, said on the verse (Leviticus 20:17), "And a man who takes his sister… it is chesed": this love of the forbidden relations — "it is chesed," it is taken from the World of Chesed, which is the world of Divine love; and you must sift it from the evil and bind it to the root, as above, and not be drawn after the evil within it. And so too with all the middot, the essence of the service is thus. For this our righteous Mashiach waits — that we come to this level of sifting the sparks mentioned above, which is the secret of the birur (sifting): to sift the good from the evil in which it is clothed through the shattering. And all this is impossible except through da'at, for then one knows how to give oneself counsel and salvation for the siftings mentioned above. All this has already been explained by us elsewhere. If so, the knowledge of the Creator, blessed be He, is the aspect of Da'at, from which the chain of da'at also descends to every Jew. It emerges that da'at is choice, and it emerges that there is no room for the question above. For in truth choice is not the opposite of the knowledge of the Creator, blessed be He and blessed be His Name, which is the very root of choice; and the knowledge of the Creator, blessed be He, is the aspect of choice, which too is through His knowledge, blessed be He, that dwells in the person. And through it is the choice to choose good over evil, and to make a distinction (havdalah) among the fallen middot, to sift the good from them and bring it to the root, as said. For in truth, from His side, blessed be He, nothing is withheld, for He gives the da'at with which a person sifts the middot; but from the person's side there is the obstacle, that he is drawn after the evil mixed within him. If so, there is no change in His knowledge, blessed be He, Heaven forbid; only that there is a person who accomplishes nothing with his da'at, because he falls, Heaven forbid, to the side of evil. Understand this. This is the general principle that emerges: so too His knowledge, blessed be He, has decreed, that through the supernal Da'at, if one holds on to it and wishes to act with it, he will certainly act to sift the middot, as said; and this is precisely the aspect of choice. And this is why Israel wanted to attain the great da'at in intellectual matters, the aspect of the supernal Land of Israel — to scout the supernal Land with all its inner middot and powers, and to attain the aspect of Moshe, which is the great da'at; to know the outgoings and incomings, by which way they should go to the supernal Land. This is in line with what was said, that in all things they would attain the sifting of the inner [good] and bring it to its root, to the supernal middot. But there are those who stumble in this because they do not have yirah (awe of Heaven) beforehand, and they come to heresy, Heaven forbid, saying that the sifting mentioned above is impossible — that evil is truly evil, and it is impossible to bring out and empty the aspect of the vessels mentioned above from the good — like the utterly wicked, may the Merciful One save us. Therefore one first needs faith and awe of Him, blessed be He, and to receive the knowledge of one's master's house, to know "where is the way to where light dwells" (Job 38:19). And this is "Send for yourself" (shelach lecha, Numbers 13:2) — "according to your own da'at" (Rashi): meaning, in order to attain the aspect of "your da'at," which is the aspect of Moshe, certainly "send for yourself" all your inner powers and your intellect, to attain in intellectual matters, as said. And this is "Does a person choose a bad portion for himself?" — for by coming to the aspect called "according to your da'at," he certainly chooses the good and rejects the bad; understand this. "But I do not command you" — meaning, "I will not decree that it must be specifically so, unchangeably; rather, if you wish, send," for this is what I have left to a person in choice, as it is said (Deuteronomy 30:15), "See, I have set before you today life and good…". And if the decree were that it be according to the will of God, blessed be He, it would not be considered choice. For in truth, had the Creator, blessed be He, desired, He would have commanded that it be specifically so — entirely good, with no aspect of evil in the world. For this aspect of command is: had the Creator, blessed be He, wished, a person would be compelled to do good; and this would be an aspect of a command that God commanded and decreed, that there be specifically the compulsion to do good, in such a way that there would be no choice. But since He, blessed be He, did not wish to command and decree that it be specifically so, that doing good be compulsory, He therefore left this to choice: if one wishes to do evil, he may do so, as it is said, "they open [the way] for him" (Shabbat 104a), and he is not compelled specifically to do good. Even though He, blessed be He, commanded "and you shall choose life," nevertheless this is not the aspect of an actual command mentioned above; we say of it that it is the giving of counsel, and not a compulsory decree leaving a person no other option. The Creator, blessed be He, did not command this aspect of command to be a compulsory command; rather, He left it to choice, so that if one does not wish to listen to His counsel, he can do the opposite. And this is "if you wish, send." And this is [the spy] "Setur" (Numbers 13:13), who "demolished" (sasar) the works of the Holy One, blessed be He. For those who say that it is impossible to bring out good from evil, as said, thereby demolish the works of the Holy One, blessed be He, who made the world mixed of good and bad and gave choice so that they would be builders of the demolition that is in the shattering — which is why Torah scholars are called builders, as in the saying, "'and all your children (banayich)' — read not 'your children' but 'your builders' (bonayich)…" (Berachot 64a); and these demolish, as it is said, Heaven forbid, in the aspect of demolition. And likewise what is said [of the spy "Michael"], that he made the Holy One, blessed be He, "low" (mach), Heaven forbid — it is also in this way: that the treasures of the King of the world are fallen and he does not lift them up, etc. "Nachbi," who "hid" the words of the Holy One, blessed be He — who hid them in the concealment of the level, Heaven forbid, so that they would remain there, Heaven forbid. And "Vofsi," who "stepped over" (pasa) the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He — who steps, Heaven forbid, over things that stand at the heights of the world, their root; he steps, Heaven forbid, on the fallen middot and does not lift them up. And this is "even the owner of the house cannot remove his vessels from there" (Sotah 35a), Heaven forbid: for the wicked say that there is neither need nor ability to bring out and empty the aspect of the vessels that are in the shattering; understand this. But the truth is that a person must set his eyes and his heart and all his intellect to do as said above, for this is the whole essence of our aim and our service: to sift the good and bring it to the supernal root and bind it to Him, may His Name be blessed and His remembrance exalted. Amen, forever, Selah, and ever. (Me'or Einayim – Beha'alotcha) Free Choice 1. We have already mentioned that man is that creature created to cleave to Him, blessed be He, and he is placed between perfection and deficiencies, and he has the ability to acquire perfection. However, this must be by his choice and his will. For if he were compelled in his actions to choose perfection in any case, he would not truly be called the master of his perfection, for he would not be its master, since he was compelled by another to acquire it; and the one who caused him to acquire it would be the master of his perfection, and the supernal intention would not be fulfilled. Therefore it was necessary that the matter be left to his choice — that his inclination be balanced between the two sides and not compelled toward one of them, and that he have the power of choice to choose, knowingly and willingly, whichever of them he wishes, and also the ability to acquire whichever of them he wishes. Therefore man was created with a good inclination and an evil inclination, and the choice is in his hand to incline himself to whichever side he wishes. The Struggle between the Body and the Soul 2. However, for this matter to be fully accomplished as it should, the supernal Wisdom decreed that man be composed of two opposites — that is, of an intellectual and pure soul, and an earthly and turbid body — each of which by nature inclines to its own side: the body to materiality and the soul to intellect. And a war will be found between them, such that if the soul prevails, it will rise and raise the body with it, and that person will be the one perfected with the destined perfection; and if a person lets matter prevail in him, the body will be lowered and his soul will be lowered with it, and that person will be unfit for perfection and will be pushed away from it, Heaven forbid. And this person has the ability to subordinate his matter to his intellect and his soul, and to acquire his perfection, as we have explained. This World and the World to Come 3. However, His goodness, blessed be He, decreed that there be a limit to this effort required of man to attain perfection, and that when he has completed his effort he will attain his perfection and rest in its enjoyment for ever and ever. Therefore two times were established for him: one, the time of service (avodah), and one, the time of receiving reward. However, the measure of good is greater: the service has a fixed time, as His wisdom, blessed be He, decreed to be fitting for this, while receiving reward has no end; rather, for ever and ever he continues to delight in the perfection that he acquired for himself. (Derech Hashem – Part I, Chapter 1) Translated from the Hebrew sources page "מקורות- פרק ז’" by Roni Ayalon-Hirsch.

Sources – Chapter G