English translation — חוקת א

Talk 1<pg>72</pg>

A.

The Rambam wrote<sup>1</sup>

: "From where [do we know] that a tightly sealed cover saves in the tent of the dead, for it is said<sup>2</sup>

And every open vessel which has no tightly sealed cover upon it is unclean,

behold, [if] it has a tightly sealed cover upon it, it is clean,

And from the oral tradition<sup>3</sup>

they learned that the verse speaks only of earthenware vessels alone,

a vessel<sup>4</sup>

that becomes impure only through its opening,

therefore if its opening was sealed and surrounded by a tightly sealed cover, it saved everything that is inside it,

all the more so<sup>5</sup>

for all vessels that do not receive impurity, that they save with a tightly sealed cover

(and they<sup>6</sup>

— vessels of dung, vessels of stone, vessels of earth, and vessels of fish bone and its skin, bones of fowl, and wooden vessels that come in a measure, and boards of wood that are flat and are not vessels, and unfinished metal vessels)

".

And in the continuation of the matters

(Two chapters later)

wrote⁷

: "All vessels that protect with a tightly sealed cover protect everything that is inside them, whether foods, whether liquids, whether garments and wooden vessels — this is the law of the Torah; but according to the words of the Scribes, an earthenware vessel that is surrounded by a tightly sealed cover protects only foods and liquids and other earthenware vessels that are inside it,

but if there were inside an earthenware vessel that is surrounded [by a tightly sealed cover] wooden vessels or garments, these are impure⁸.

And why did they say that it does not protect everything like other protecting vessels,

because other protecting vessels do not receive impurity, and an earthenware vessel receives impurity, and an impure vessel does not interpose,

And every vessel of an ignoramus is presumed impure, etc.,

they decreed that an earthenware vessel should not protect wooden vessels that are inside it"⁹.

And the Rambam continues¹⁰

"A person who was placed inside the barrel and it is surrounded by a tightly sealed cover is pure, etc. And it seems to me that this that they did not decree concerning an earthenware vessel that it should not protect a person is because it is an uncommon thing, and any uncommon thing they did not decree concerning it."

And below¹¹

continues "an opening

[that is a window]

between a house and an attic, and impurity is in the house and a pot

[of earthenware]

placed upon the opening..

Everything that is in the attic of foods and liquids and earthenware vessels is pure,

but a person and a vessel of wood/cloth that are in the attic are impure,

for an earthenware vessel interposes only for foods and for liquids and earthenware vessels, and everything that is in the attic is pure as if it is under a tightly sealed cover in an earthenware vessel, and the person in the attic is impure because it is a common thing."

<pg>73</pg>

And thus,

there are in this law of rescue from impurity of a tent by means of a "tightly sealed cover" three distinctions:

A)

Vessels that do not receive impurity save with a tightly sealed cover upon everything that is inside them, even according to the words of the scribes.

B)

An earthenware vessel surrounded by a tightly sealed cover,

which saves food and liquids,

and likewise saves a person who is placed inside the barrel,

but according to the words of the scribes it does not save utensils and garments.

3)

A person who is above and a pot on the chimney — then the earthenware vessel does not protect the person who is above this.

2.

And it is known¹²

that from every law in the Torah one can learn instructions in the service of G-d,

namely,

that in addition to the simple interpretation of each law

(which is the main thing),

there is in each law also an interpretation in spiritual service,

that this instruction pertains to each one,

and in the language of the Rambam¹³

"Most of the laws of the Torah are nothing but counsels from afar from the Great Counselor to correct the dispositions and to straighten all deeds",

and as it is written¹⁴

"And the L-rd commanded us to do all these statutes to fear the L-rd"¹⁵,

that the purpose of "all these statutes" is that through them one should come to "fear the L-rd",

and therefore one must learn from every law an instruction in the matter of fear of Heaven.

And likewise in our matter,

that these three matters in connection with rescue from impurity in the tent of the dead have their parallel in the service of man to his Creator.

3.

Explanation of the matter:

The concept of "life" in spirituality and in the service of man means and its matter is the attachment to G‑d,

as it is said¹⁶

"And you who cling to the L-rd your G‑d are alive, all of you, today",

that the Holy One, blessed be He, is called life¹⁷,

and more than this — He is the source of life,

"the One who gives life to the living"¹⁸.

And therefore the children of Israel are called "life"¹⁹,

because they are attached to the Holy One, blessed be He,

for their soul is "literally a part of G‑d above"²⁰,

and as the saying²¹

"embraced and attached to You".

And from here,

that the absence of attachment to G‑d, heaven forbid, is a matter of "death",

the opposite of life.

And according to this, one could say,

that the matter of "the tent of the dead" in spirituality refers to the entirety of this world

(before its refinement),

which is called by the name "the world of the shells and the other side"²²

(for this world "is full of shells and the other side which are against G‑d literally"²³),

and the shell "is a place of death and impurity, may G‑d protect us"²⁴.

And it is found,

that the descent of the soul of man into this world is analogous to a person who is in a tent of the dead.

And behold, even though the soul from its own side,

being a pure soul attached to G‑d,

it is "life" that the "impurity of the dead" of this world cannot affect it,

nevertheless,

through the clothing of the soul in a physical body,

by which a connection is made between the soul and the world outside it,

&lt;pg&gt;74&lt;/pg&gt;

It is possible that the impurity of this world will blemish her holiness,

and she needs a matter of protection

("rescue")

from this impurity.

And in general,

the attachment of the soul to the Holy One, blessed be He, while it is below in this world is through engagement in Torah and mitzvos,

"See²⁵

I have placed before you today the life and the good etc. and you shall choose life"²⁶.

But this is protection and rescue during his engagement in Torah and mitzvos,

but not at times when he engages in the needs of his body and his livelihood etc.,

he then needs additional protection from the impurity of this world.

And this protection and rescue is when he changes the essence of the body,

until it comes to a state that it is completely protected from the impurity of this world.

And this is the hint in the details of the laws regarding the different types of vessels that protect from impurity in a tent of a corpse,

that they are "counsels..

from the greatness of counsel" how it is possible for a person to save himself from the impurity of this world

("tent of a corpse"),

and there are different ways in this:

The "vessel" is the body of a person,

in which the soul is clothed,

and an ordinary vessel receives impurity in a tent of a corpse,

that is,

the body in itself is affected by its surroundings,

and consequently the impurity spreads also into the soul of the person and harms its holiness.

But there are ways that the "vessel",

that is the body,

can protect from the impurity of the tent,

and in general — two ways in the matter:

Way one — when the vessel does not receive impurity,

which is a vessel such that "it is not considered a vessel regarding impurity"²⁷.

And its meaning in spirituality,

when the main work of the person is the work of the soul,

that the light of the soul shines for him in a revealed manner,

and the body not only does it not conceal the light of the soul,

but furthermore,

that it does not even limit it

(so much),

and therefore there is upon it the law of "vessel"

(regarding the laws of impurity),

since this body does not limit the light of the soul²⁸.

And way two — when the vessel is an earthenware vessel made from earth.

And its meaning in service is the matter of self-nullification

("And I am dust and ashes"²⁹,

"And my soul like dust to all shall be"³⁰),

that the body has no existence

(by itself),

but it is utterly nullified to the soul,

in a manner that the holiness of the soul penetrates into all the details of the body and consequently there is no place given to any matter of impurity,

the opposite of the life and holiness of the soul.

That is to say: in the first manner,

behold, from the outset there is no limitation from the body,

and all the service is the service of the soul

("servants of the Lord&lt;pg&gt;75&lt;/pg&gt;

in their soul").

And therefore the impurity of this world does not affect him,

for since he is in a "vessel" that is not in the category of impurity

(for his body is not a "vessel" that limits the revelation of the light of his soul),

it is as if he is not in "the tent of the dead"

(the place of impurity).

But not so in the second manner,

the body is in the category of a "vessel" that limits the revelation of the soul's light

[therefore an earthenware vessel is a vessel that can receive impurity

(at least from its airspace),

because the vessel effects limitation in the light of the soul]

; but when a person performs his service with the body

(vessel)

itself,

to refine and purify it,

until purification in completeness&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;,

that the body has no existence of its own,

and the entire essence of the body is solely to reveal the light of its soul,

then it is saved from impurity in the tent of the dead.

— And in these two manners the Torah said,

that when can the vessel

(the body)

save from the impurity of the tent of the dead,

only when "a tightly sealed cover is upon it",

that it is immersed entirely in this service

[whether to elevate itself above the measures and limitations of its body,

until its body is not in the category of a "vessel"; or the service of refining and purifying the body itself,

until it is in the category of "earthenware",

and I am dust and ashes,

utterly nullified to the soul],

but not so if there is an "opening" to the air of the world,

then it is not saved from the impurity of the tent of the dead.

And in this way one can explain the inner reason for an additional distinction that we find between all the vessels that protect and earthenware vessels — that "all³¹

the vessels that protect with a tightly sealed cover, if they had in them a handbreadth by a handbreadth by a handbreadth in height, and they turned them over on their opening on the ground, even though he did not seal with a tightly sealed cover from the sides, these protect everything that is under them until the depth, because they are like a tent, and a tent protects, unless the vessel was an earthenware vessel, for tents of earthenware vessels do not protect"³²

:

In other vessels that are not in the category of impurity

(and in spiritual service — that is, a body that does not conceal the light of the soul and does not give place to the impurity of this world, etc.),

it is applicable to say that when he turned them over on their opening and made them a tent by themselves,

then it is considered that they are not in the tent of the dead

(for this too suffices to nullify the "opening" to the air of the world,

and there is no connection between the body and the impurity of this world that surrounds it).

But not so with earthenware vessels³³,

since the concept of impurity is not excluded from them

(And in spiritual service — this is a body that is not excluded from the impurity of this world)

— and that which "a tightly sealed cover" saves from impurity,

it is only because it actually interposes before the impurity and does not allow the impurity to spread inside the vessel — therefore,

mere overturning of the vessel upon its mouth does not avail to interpose before the impurity of a tent over a corpse,

rather there must be a strong separation,

"a tightly sealed cover",

for only then is it considered that there is no "opening" to the surrounding air of the world.

4.

And this is also the hint in the distinction between vessels that do not receive impurity and earthenware vessels,

that regarding earthenware vessels the Sages decreed that they should not save the vessels or garments that are inside them,

but not so with vessels that do not receive impurity, regarding which they did not decree this decree:

In the first manner,

that he has no connection to the work&lt;pg&gt;76&lt;/pg&gt;

the body itself,

and it is as if he is not found in the tent of the dead as above,

then it is not in the category&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;

of impurity,

and therefore there is no need for a decree; but not so in the second manner,

which is work within the body,

behold after all there is a possibility&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;

regarding the impurity

(since his work is with the body itself),

and therefore the sages who added fences and safeguards,

decreed that earthenware vessels will not protect against impurity.

But this decree is only regarding vessels and garments,

which are things that are not part of the person himself but things external to him,

therefore even though they belong to him

(as hinted in that they are found inside the earthenware vessel),

nevertheless,

the holiness of his soul does not shine in them so much,

therefore the sages decreed that they are not saved from the impurity of the tent;

But not so a person who is inside an earthenware vessel — for a person

(from the term "earth to the upper one"³⁵)

refers to the soul of the person — is not included in this decree,

for the soul itself,

since it is inside an "earthenware vessel" that has "a tight cover upon it"

(meaning that the body is nullified to it completely),

there is no concern that the impurity of this world will touch it, G-d forbid; and also they did not decree about foods and drinks that are inside an earthenware vessel,

for they become blood and flesh like his flesh and are united with his body,

and since his body is on the level of "earthenware vessel",

therefore also the foods and drinks that become part of his body are saved from the impurity of this world.

And one can say,

that this explanation also fits with the reason according to the revealed aspect for this decree³⁶

— because of the concern of vessels of an ignoramus,

that is,

regarding other vessels there is a concern that they will become mixed with an "ignoramus",

earthliness and materiality of the world,

but not so regarding foods and drinks

(which become blood and flesh like his flesh),

because a Torah scholar does not use at all foods and drinks of an ignoramus.

And one can add — in the manner of the homiletical and the allusion — that also the reason according to the revealed aspect that they did not decree regarding a person,

"because it is a thing that is not common",

alludes to the inner reason mentioned above,

because such a person whose service in refining and purifying his body is complete,

to the extent that he is on the level of an "earthenware vessel" that has a "tightly sealed cover upon it",

he is a "thing that is not common" in

(the boundaries of the)

world.

5.

And behold, although there are two types of vessels that protect from impurity with a tight seal as above

(vessels that do not receive impurity and earthenware vessels),

nevertheless, the Rambam infers

(according to the language of the Sifri³⁷),

that the source of the law that a tight seal protects from impurity in a tent of the dead was stated initially specifically regarding an earthenware vessel,

and in his language "from the oral tradition they learned that the verse speaks only of an earthenware vessel alone",

except that from this they learned a fortiori for all vessels that do not receive impurity³⁸.

<pg>77</pg>

And one must examine why this law was hinted specifically regarding an earthenware vessel,

and that the verse did not speak initially also about all vessels that do not receive impurity?

And one can say the explanation in this in the inner aspect of the matters — according to the above:

Even though ostensibly great is the virtue of the first manner,

in which man elevates himself above the category of impurity as above,

Nevertheless,

the ultimate intention of the creation of man and the descent of his soul into this world to be clothed in a body is in order to refine the body and purify it,

in the well-known expression "for the soul itself needs no correction at all",

and its descent into this world is only to correct the body and his animal soul and his portion in the world

(as explained at length in the holy book Tanya³⁹).

And this is what the Rambam wrote, "that the verse speaks only about an earthenware vessel" — because the higher intention

(of which "the verse speaks")

is that a person should work with his body,

and to act upon it that it should be on the level of an "earthenware vessel".

And based on this, one can explain the third manner mentioned above

(section 1-b)

— regarding the law of "a skylight between a house and an attic, and impurity is in the house, and a pot is placed upon the opening of the skylight",

that in this case the Sages decreed impurity also upon the person who is in the attic:

In this Bava,

the person is not found within a "vessel" at all — not within an earthenware vessel and not within a vessel that does not receive impurity,

but is found in an "upper [room]".

And its spiritual meaning,

that the person thinks that in order to save himself from the impurity of this world,

he elevates himself in an "ascent",

that he separates himself from worldly matters,

and all his connection to the world is "from afar"

(via a "skylight").

That is: even regarding the manner of being in a vessel that does not receive impurity,

i.e., one who serves G-d with his soul

(as above),

his service affects his body,

except that his effect is from the aspect of the light of the soul that shines within his body,

to the extent that his body is nullified before the intensity of the light of the soul, and therefore it is not considered a "vessel",

as above;

But not so a person who is in elevation, meaning,

that his service is in separation entirely from physical things,

that he does not engage at all with his body to illuminate it with the light of his soul,

thinking that by this he is protected from the impurity of this world, etc.

And about this comes the instruction of the Torah,

that the opposite is the case: even though according to the letter of the law

(from the Torah)

he is pure because he is not in the tent of the dead

("the place of death" of this world),

nevertheless,

specifically in this manner the Sages decreed impurity upon the person

(which they did not decree in the two aforementioned manners),

because,

the true state of this person who is in elevation is,

that he is not essentially separated from the impurity of this world,

that this that the impurity of this world does not affect him is only because he separates himself in practice from it,

but from the perspective of his essential existence, he belongs⁴⁰

to the world of impurity, etc.

But not so in the first two cases&lt;sup&gt;40&lt;/sup&gt;,

that a person does not separate from worldly matters,

but rather his service is within a "vessel",

the Sages did not decree impurity upon the person,

and he is pure.

(From the sicha of 20 Marcheshvan 5745)