Gates of Righteousness

Woe to the creatures for the insult to this verse! And concerning this it is said, "The righteous is gathered in before the evil comes" Isaiah 57:1. This is what the Torah says: "This is the law: when a man dies in a tent..." Numbers 19:14. In mystical tradition, this suggests that the Torah's secrets are revealed to those who "slay" their worldly desires within the "tent" of study.

Let us return to the intention of the verse: "This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it" Psalm 118:20. This means we must seek the gate through which one enters into the presence of the Lord, blessed be He, since four partitions surround His palace.

We say that since Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob came, they established all the Chariots Chariots|Hebrew: Merkavot. The mystical "vehicles" or structures through which the Divine Presence manifests in the world., both upper and lower, the outer ones and the inner ones. It is found that Abraham and Isaac bound the outer chariot on the outside through Ishmael and Esau In Kabbalah, Ishmael and Esau represent the "husks" or external forces that branched off from the holiness of Abraham and Isaac.. The inner chariot was prepared through Jacob. When Jacob came, he was perfect, without a blemish or flaw, refined sevenfold through the line of Seth, Enoch, Noah, Shem; with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob being the seventh in that lineage of merit. Of them it is said: "Silver refined in a furnace of earth, purified sevenfold" Psalm 12:6. Thus his "bed" was complete A traditional idiom meaning that all of Jacob's children were righteous, unlike Abraham (who had Ishmael) or Isaac (who had Esau).. Therefore, the Name chose him, for he is the Middle Line Middle Line|Hebrew: Kav ha-Emtza'i. The central path of the Sefirot (divine emanations) that balances the right side (Mercy) and the left side (Judgment)., and he unified the pure with the pure. Then he found the Lord and had a portion in prophecy, as it is written: "For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His treasure" Psalm 135:4. This is the portion that fell to him in all the world, and this is the secret of the verse: "For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance" Deuteronomy 32:9. It is also the secret of "And He brought him outside" Genesis 15:5, and "He found him in a desert land... the Lord alone did lead him" Deuteronomy 32:10-12. Since He chose Jacob, who is the "middle" in the Middle Line, Jacob became a complete throne for the Lord, blessed be He. For Abraham and Isaac were only called "Thrones of the Patriarchs," as symbolized by the phrase "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Concerning this it is said: "You have affirmed the Lord... and the Lord has affirmed you" Deuteronomy 26:17-18. The secret of the twelve tribes corresponds to the twelve Names that are formed from the unique Name The Tetragrammaton, YHWH, blessed be He. The verse proclaims: "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel... and this is what their father spoke to them, and he blessed them." And then

Jacob became a complete throne for the Chariot—that is, the "throne of the body" and not the "throne of the earth." For the Shekhinah Shekhinah|The Divine Presence that dwells within the physical world. did not dwell below in a permanent state of rest until the "fourth leg" arrived This refers to the idea that the Divine Throne has four legs; the three Patriarchs are the first three, and the fourth is often identified as King David or the Shekhinah itself.. Previously, it was only temporary, even in the days of Moses our Teacher, peace be upon him. Concerning this, it says of the Jubilee: "They shall come up to the mountain" Exodus 19:13.

After you have understood this, know that just as the Lord chose Jacob from among the other nations, so He chose Zion from among all lands to dwell in, and Jerusalem from among all locations. Just as a specific guardian angel fell to every nation and land during the "Generation of the Dispersion" The Tower of Babel, so did the portion of the Lord, blessed be He, rise: Jacob from the nations, the Land of Israel from the lands, and Jerusalem from the locations. Of this it is said: "For Your name is called upon Your city and upon Your people" Daniel 9:19. Just as Jacob is in the middle of the Patriarchs, so Jerusalem is in the middle of the inhabited world. Of this it is said: "This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries that are round about her" Ezekiel 5:5. Thus the secret of "the land and the outskirts" is explained.

Concerning this it is said, "You have affirmed the Lord... and the Lord has affirmed you." You may now learn the secret of "And He brought him outside" Genesis 15:5: Abraham had no visible root or place of attachment except in the "externality" and the "husks" Original: Kelippot, the shells of impurity. which are called the Foreskin Foreskin|Hebrew: Orlah. In Kabbalah, this represents the spiritual blockage or "husk" that conceals holiness.. Therefore, the beginning of the Covenant of Circumcision Circumcision|Hebrew: Milah. Mystically, the act of removing the "husk" to reveal the light. was given to Abraham. When Abraham was uprooted from the place where he was planted, the Holy One, blessed be He, took him and replanted him in the "inner place." The sign for this is: "And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river..." Joshua 24:3. Guard this great principle, for it is an inner secret from the chambers of the Torah.

After you have understood this, know that the Name of the Lord, the great Name, blessed be He, is called upon Jacob. Since the root of Jacob is the inheritance of the Great Lord, the Lord informed Jacob which "gate" he should enter when he needs to enter His inner chambers—something not granted to any other nation or tongue. Concerning this it is said: "He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel. He has not dealt so with any nation..." Psalm 147:19-20. And from where do we know that the Lord informed Jacob how to come to the Gate to enter His palaces? It is written: "And he encountered the place, and stayed there..." Genesis 28:11; refers to Jacob's dream of the ladder.