"Set me as a seal upon Your heart"

Synopsis

Rabbi Elazar talks about the Tefilin and their meaning in terms of the seal mentioned in the title verse. When the Tefilin are placed both on the arm and on the heart, man makes himself perfect. The topic turns to the time of death when it is so hard for the soul to leave the body; it is just as hard for Yisrael to separate from God, so great is their love for Him. We hear that the two lowest grades of Gehenom are Sheol and Ruin. It is said that "jealousy is as cruel as Sheol," and this is because it is as hard to escape from Sheol as it is for the jealous person to leave his beloved. When the Congregation of Yisrael is jealous for God, her flame sets the world on fire.

Body Congregation Hands Head Heart Isaac Mochin Praise Tfilin Zeir Anpin

36. Rabbi Elazar further discussed the verse: "Set me as a seal upon Your heart" (Shir Hashirim 8:6). The Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT, asked the Holy One, blessed be He, to "set me as a seal." "A seal" is the ring seal of Truth. "As a seal upon Your heart" is the seal of the Tefilin that a man places on his heart. "As a seal upon the arm" (Ibid.) is a dark hand, NAMELY MALCHUT which he places on the arm. What is it? It is Isaac, THE LEFT SIDE OF ZEIR ANPIN. The Congregation of Yisrael says, "Set me as a seal," but should say, 'set me a seal' and not "as a seal." HE EXPLAINS THAT "AS A SEAL" means as the head Tefilin, CALLED "A SEAL," whence gain, NAMELY THE MOCHIN, comes to the whole body. Therefore, the Tefilin is placed both on the arm and on the heart. By so doing, a man makes himself perfect, after the supernal model.

36. תּוּ פָּתַח וְאָמַר, שִׂימֵנִי כַחוֹתָם עַל לִבֶּךָ וְגוֹ.' שִׂימֵנִי כַחוֹתָם, כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אָמְרָה דָּא לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. שִׂימֵנִי כַחוֹתָם, מַאן הוּא חוֹתָם. דָּא חוֹתָם דְּגוּשְׁפַּנְקָא דִּקְשׁוֹט. כַחוֹתָם עַל לִבֶּךָ, דָּא חוֹתָם שֶׁל תְּפִלִּין, דְּאָנַח ב"נ עַל לִבֵּיהּ. כַּחוֹתָם עַל זְרוֹעֶךָ, דָּא יַד כֵּהָה, דְּמָנַח בְּהַהוּא זְרוֹעַ, וּמַנוּ יִצְחָק. וכ"י קָאָמַר שִׂימֵנִי כַּחוֹתָם, חוֹתָם מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַאי כַּחוֹתָם. כְּאִינּוּן תְּפִלִּין דְּרֵישָׁא, דְּאָתֵי שְׁבָחָא לְכָל גּוּפָא. וְעַל דָּא תְּפִלִין בַּזְּרוֹעַ, עַל הַלֵּב, וּבְדָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בַּר נָשׁ שְׁלִים כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא.

Body Death Death and the Afterlife Hands Head Love Soul, The Tfilin Zeir Anpin

37. "For love is strong as death" (Shir Hashirim 8:6). HE ASKS: What is "love is strong as death?" HE ANSWERS: There is nothing so hard in the world as the departure of the soul from the body AT THE TIME OF DEATH when they must separate. Such is the love of Yisrael for the Holy One, blessed be He, that they should never separate. Therefore, the hand Tefilin, WHICH IS MALCHUT, combines with that on the arm, WHICH IS THE LEFT SIDE OF ZEIR ANPIN, and fulfills that which is written: "His left hand is under my head" (Shir Hashirim 2:6).

37. כִּי עַזָּה כַמָּוֶת אַהֲבָה. מַאי כִּי עַזָּה כַמָּוֶת. אֶלָּא לָא אִשְׁתְּכַח קַשְׁיוּתָא בְּעָלְמָא, כְּמָה דִּפְרִישׁוּ דְּנַפְשָׁא מִגּוּפָא, כַּד בַּעְיָין לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא. כַּךְ אַהֲבַת כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּלָא אִתְפָּרְשָׁן לְעָלְמִין. ובג"כ תְּפִלָּה שֶׁל יַד, אִתְקַשְּׁרָא בִּזְרוֹעַ, לְקַיְּימָא דִּכְתִּיב, שְׂמֺאלוֹ תַּחַת לְרֺאשִׁי.

Gehenom (Hell) Grades Hell (Gehenom) Jealousy Love Wicked Wickedness

38. "Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol" (Shir Hashirim 8:6). Of all the grades of Gehenom, there is no PLACE MORE harsh than Sheol, for it descends down BELOW ALL THE GRADES except the one called 'Ruin,' WHICH IS EVEN FURTHER BELOW SHEOL. Both of them are combined and they are harder on the wicked than all the others. Thus, "jealousy is as cruel as Sheol," for jealousy comes only out of love, and out of love comes jealousy. HE WHO IS JEALOUS BECAUSE OF HAVING SO LITTLE LOVE IS LIKE ONE WHO IS JEALOUS OF HIS WIFE. Whoever is extremely jealous of a beloved one finds it more difficult to depart from him than from the level called Sheol, the harshest and most difficult level in Gehenom.

38. קָשָׁה כִשְׁאוֹל קִנְאָה. בְּכָל דַּרְגִּין דְּגֵיהִנָּם, לָא אִית קַשְׁיָא כִּשְׁאוֹל, דְּנָחִית לְתַתָּא מִנַּיְיהוּ, בַּר הַהוּא דַּרְגָּא דְּאִקְרֵי אֲבַדּוֹן, וְדָא וְדָא אִשְׁתָּתָּפוּ כַּחֲדָא. וְדָא קַשְׁיָא לְהוּ לְחַיָּיבַיָּא מִכֺּלָּא. כַּךְ, קָשָׁה כִשְׁאוֹל קִנְאָה, דְּלֵית קִנְאָה אֶלָּא בִּרְחִימוּתָא, וּמִגּוֹ רְחִימוּתָא אָתֵי קִנְאָה, וּמַאן דְּקַנֵּי לְהַהוּא דְּרָחִים יַתִּיר, קַשְׁיָא לֵיהּ לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא מִנֵּיהּ מֵהַהוּא דַּרְגָּא דְּאִקְרֵי שְׁאוֹל, דְּאִיהוּ קַשְׁיָא מִכָּל דַּרְגִּין דְּגֵיהִנָּם.

Air Congregation Fire Flame Jealousy Shofar Water

39. "The coals thereof are coals of fire which have a most vehement flame" (Ibid.). HE ASKS: What does "coals of fire" mean? HE ANSWERS: This is the fire that issues from the Shofar compounded of air and water, MEANING THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CHOCHMAH THAT ISSUES FROM THE LEFT SIDE, THE SECRET OF THE FIRE OF THE BINAH THAT IS CALLED 'SHOFAR.' FOR THAT FIRE, WHICH IS THE LEFT SIDE, ALSO INCLUDES TWO SIDES: THE CENTRAL SIDE, WHICH IS CALLED 'AIR,' AND THE RIGHT SIDE, WHICH IS CALLED 'WATER.' That flame which burns in the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT, then sets the world on fire when she is jealous for the Holy One, blessed be He. Woe to he who crosses the path of that flame, for it will burn them.

39. רְשָׁפֶיהָ רִשְׁפֵי אֵשׁ שַׁלְהֶבֶת יָהּ. וּמַאן אִיהוּ שַׁלְהֶבֶת יָהּ, דָּא אֶשָּׁא דְּנָפִיק מִגּוֹ שׁוֹפָר, כָּלִיל מֵרוּחָא וּמַיָא. וּמִגּוֹ הַהוּא שַׁלְהוֹבָא כַּד מִתְלַהֲטָא בכ"י, אוֹקִיד עָלְמָא בְּשַׁלְהֺבוּתָא בְּקִנְאָה דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּהִיא מְקַנְּאָה לֵיהּ, וַוי דְּאַעְרַע בְּשַׁלְהוֹבִיתָא, דְּאִיהוּ יִתּוֹקַד בְּהוּ.