|
|
Sasson and Simcha -
Two Jews' Blues
The Talmud (Succah 48b ) records the following tradition:
Once there were two Jewish heretics,[307] one was called Sasson (joy) and the other was called Simcha (happiness). Sasson said to Simcha, "I am better than you, since it is written, 'They will obtain Sasson [first] and [then] Simcha'" (Isaiah 35:10). "I," said Simcha to Sasson, "am better than you, since it is written, 'The Jews had Simcha [first] and [then] Sasson'" (Esther 8:17). "One day," said Sasson to Simcha, "they will take you out [from heaven] and make you a runner, since it is written, 'For with Simcha they will go forth'" (Isaiah 55:12). "One day," said Simcha to Sasson, "they will take you out [from heaven] and use you to draw water, for it is written, 'You will draw water with Sasson from the wellsprings of salvation"' (Isaiah 12:3).
The Jewish heretic whose name was Sasson once said to R. Abbahu, "You are destined to draw water for me in the World to Come, for it is written, 'Therefore with Sasson you will draw water from the wellsprings of salvation.'" "If," R. Abbahu retorted, "it had been written, for Sasson (L'Sasson ) it would be as you say, but since it is written with Sasson (B'Sasson), the meaning must be that a water-pouch will be made of your skin, and water will be drawn with it.
A strange Aggada? Yes, and rightly so, as the hidden message of this 1,500 year old formula has been purposefully concealed from anyone who has not been initiated into principles of esoteric Judaism. Remember what the GRA taught us above in the previous chapter :[308]
On the surface the Aggadot appear as wasted expressions, God forbid, yet all the secrets [of the universe] are concealed within them... In the future these secrets will be revealed and this is the New Torah[309] that will be revealed in the future.
R. Shlomo Eliyahiv has referred to this same aggadic passage in a similar context:[310]
There are aggadic passages in the Talmud whose understanding is completely hidden and yet, all the sodot. (secrets) of the Torah are buried within them. This is necessary because the sodot that are alluded to in those passages have their origin in the most powerful aspect of Divinity (Orot HaGevurot). They must be concealed so that the External Forces should not gain access to them.[311] There are, however, certain esoteric truths that can be infected even after they are hidden. As a [double] protection, therefore, these truths are forced to assume an outer garment of tall-tales and exaggerated descriptions which shock one's sensibilities. Such is the case, for example, with the story of Sancheriv, all the tales of Rabba bar bar Channa and the dialogue of Sasson and Simcha.
R. Menachem Mendel of Shklov, one of the GRA's master disciples, wrote:[312]
There weresodot that the GRA would not reveal to any of his disciples. The sod of the "[two Jewish heretics] Sasson and Simcha" (Succah 48b), was one of these. Concerning this passage we heard from his holy mouth that one of the earlier masters (G'dolay HaRishonim) fasted numerous fasts in order to be worthy of having the sod of this passage revealed to him from above. His request was not granted. Our holy Rabbi, his soul be in Eden, confided that the sod of Sasson and Simcha had been revealed to him and that if he had been created only in order to grasp this matter, it would have been sufficient for him... .
R. Yitzchak Izik Chaver, a disciple of R. Menachem Mendel of Shklov and the great expositor of the GRA's Kabbalah, wrote in the 19th century:[313]
Certainly, we have no conception whatsoever, even one part in a million, as to what was revealed to the GRA. Still... a deep sod is alluded to here... The Sasson and Simcha (joy and happiness) that are mentioned in the Talmud are the sod of the two Leviathans... Sasson is the male Leviathan which will be revealed in the Messianic Era at the end of the 6th millennium and Simcha is the female Leviathan which will be revealed in the Future World beginning with the 7th millennium...Sasson is the [aspect of] joy that will be revealed within the context of time. It is the sod of the Messianic Era [of Mashiach ben David ], the crown of the Holy Covenant (Ateret HaYesod) [which corresponds to the end of the 6th millennium]... It is also the sod of the verse, "For the Jews there was light, happiness, joy and honor " (Esther 8:16), concerning which the sages said, "Joy (sasson ) alludes to the Covenant of Circumcision (Brit Milah ) " (Megilah 16b). Thus, Sasson corresponds to the sod of Brit Milah which is the removal of the Orlah -Foreskin from the Ateret -Crown of Yesod in the Messianic Era... .
The explanation is as follows: the Orlah must be removed from the Ateret HaYesod [by means of circumcision]. Until then it is the very source of nourishment that sustains the External Forces and allows heresy and atheism to flourish. This is particularly true towards the end of the 6th millennium before the advent of the Messianic Era [of Mashiach ben David]. As the sages said, "In the Ikveta D'Meshicha [i.e. prior to Mashiach ben David ] Chutzpah-Arrogance will increase " (Sota 9:16). When the External Forces and the Orlah will finally be removed, however, the redeemed essence of the two heretics, Sasson and Simcha, will be revealed.
R. Yitzchak Izik is referring to the well known tradition of the two Leviathans which was discussed at length in the previous chapter. This is connected somehow with the characters of Sasson and Simcha and their respective heresies during the period of Ikveta D'Meshicha. In addition, Sasson's heresy is vaguely identified with the concept of Orlah-Foreskin that must be removed in order to reveal his true essence.
The specific nature of Sasson is clarified further in the continuation of this passage. Here R. Yitzchak Izik is very clear about the GRA's intention regarding the sod of Sasson and he has little doubt as to the contents of the GRA's mystical revelation. He begins by revealing the connection between the Orlah -Foreskin of Yesod and the Or -Skin of the Leviathan:
In this dialogue between Sasson and R. Abbahu the sages are hinting to a sod that is so incredibly awesome that it is almost impossible to conceive of it. It is directly related to another statement of the sages: "In the Future the Holy One will make a Succah from the Or -Skin of the Leviathan" (source). It is also directly related to the sod of the Orlah -Foreskin which is the sod of "garments of skin" of Adam HaRishon. Originally Adam was clothed in "garments of light" which is the [primordial] Hidden Light. Only afterwards was he clothed in "garments of skin." This was the result of his eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is the sod of the Klipat Nogah. In other words, by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, he created his own Orlah. This is what the sages meant when they said, "Adam's Yesod became covered by an Orlah -Foreskin after the sin " (Sanhedrin 38b). In the Future, however, this Orlah will revert entirely to its original holiness in the sod of a "Nogah -Radiance surrounding it" (Ezekiel 1:4). In the meantime, this Orlah represents the concept of the Torah that has been given over to the External Forces. In the Future this Orlah will be redeemed and purified. It will be spread out upon the walls of Jerusalem. This is the meaning of the verse, "Nations shall walk in your light, and kings in the radiance (nogah ) of your dawn " (Isaiah 60:3). This means that the evil aspect of the Klipat Nogah will have reverted to good, as the GRA has written in his commentary to the Sifra D'Tzeniuta. [314]
The GRA's explanation there corresponds exactly to the dialogue between the heretic Sasson and R. Abbahu. Based on the fact that the External Forces will also receive their vitality through the sod of the Upper Waters which derive from the Great Sea of Wisdom, the heretic wanted to grant them a superior position, God forbid. This is because he is the personification of evil that adheres to the crown of Yesod in the form of the Orlah. [Although these External Forces originally derive from the good], he was nevertheless mistaken because the aspect of evil that they do contain will be entirely excised and obliterated in the Future. This is the intention of the verses, "I will excise the spirit of impurity from the earth " (Zechariah 13:2) and "I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh " (Ezekiel 11:19)...
The Orlah actually consists of two Klipot , layers, of skin - the Orlah proper [the outer skin] and the Pri'ah [the inner skin]. (There is a third aspect, in the sod of the Klipat Nogah , that is absorbed into the surface of the flesh itself; only a drop of blood is necessary to reveal the crown of the Yesod and transform it into complete holiness.) These two outer skins surround and cling to the holy [crown of the Torah] and, due to our many transgressions, they are able to distort the words of Torah and transform them into heresy and disbelief. It is then that the Torah is said to have been given over to the External Forces.
This is precisely what [Sasson] the heretic meant when he said to R. Abbahu, "You are destined to draw water for me in the World to Come, for it is written, 'Therefore with Sasson you will draw water [from the wellsprings of salvation]." "If," R. Abbahu retorted, "it had been written for Sasson (L'Sasson ) it would be as you say, but since it is written with Sasson (B'Sasson ) the meaning must be that a water-pouch will be made of your skin, and water will be drawn with it." This [water-pouch] is thesod of the "wall" in the verse, "For I, says the Lord, will be a wall of surrounding fire for Jerusalem; and a glory in her midst " (Zechariah 2:9). This means that Sasson's skin will be stretched out like a wall around Jerusalem. It will then be included in holiness and used as a water-pouch to draw forth the waters of Wisdom.
This is the meaning of what the sages said, "Joy (sasson) alludes to the Covenant of Circumcision (Brit Milah) " (Megilah 16b). This statement was intentionally mentioned there [in the context of a discussion about the observance of the seven days of the Succot Holiday], as it is the sod of the succah (lit. canopy) made from the skin of Leviathan. The numerical value of the word Succah is 91. The idea of the Succah alludes therefore to the union between the masculine and feminine polarities of Divinity, YHVH and A-donoy whose combined numerical value is also 91. These two Divine Names refer to none other than the two Leviathans. Understand this.
We have already discussed much of this above and although we may not have been able to follow every idea in this extremely rich constellation of information the major theme is certainly clear. Sasson is the personification of the awesome power of contemporary secular knowledge and the phenomenon of universal atheism it has generated in its wake. Moreover, Sasson is a Jewish atheist - the modern apikorus (the traditional label for a Jew who rejects fundamental tenents of Judaism) - and he is exceedingly full of joy over what he has been discovering and developing. But before we take a look at what he has found that has made him so joyful one point must be clarified. How do we know that Sasson's heresy has grown out of secular knowledge and is not referring to idolatrous religious beliefs?
The question really is: in the last generation of the Messianic Era of Mashiach ben Yoseph, who is the manifestation of the archetype of the Jewish heretic Sasson? In the time of R. Abbahu he was a member of either the Tzadukim (Sadducees) or the Jewish-Christian sectarians. These groups, however, no longer exist today. (The number of Jews involved with Christianity today is very minor and certainly does not present any serious theological threat to Judaism as a whole which was not the case in the 2nd and 3rd centuries of the common era). In fact, "The various forms of heresy that were propogated in talmudic times no longer exist today."[315]
As is known, however, every agaddic passage must have significance in each generation. This is especially the case with the passage concerning Sasson and Simcha, as we have just learned above:
Heresy and atheism will flourish towards the end of the 6th millennium before the advent of the Messianic Era [of Mashiach ben David]. As the sages said, "In the Ikveta D'Meshicha [i.e. prior to Mashiach ben David] Chutzpah-Arrogance will increase " (Sota 9:16).
So where, in the period of Ikveta D'Meshicha, is the Jewish "Joy" of heresy? We don't have far to look. Along with the scientific, technological and industrial revolutions that have ushered in a new age of knowledge, a new brand of heresy has also been fostered. Everyone is aware of the galloping power of science riding on the backbone of the theory of evolution. And everyone is aware of the theological havoc that the theory of evolution has wrought, not just amongst Orthodox Jewry, but amongst religious people throughout the world. In one form or another, science has put religion on the defensive. Whether or not most observant people admit it, religion often secretly feels as if science has pulled the cosmic carpet out from underneath its feet. Whether it be the scientific description of the secrets of the physical world via modern physics, the scientific description of the mind and its mysterious functions via the different schools of psychology, or the scientific description of history and economics via the theories of political science, religion - and Torah included - has never met such a formidable foe. Throughout history there have been many powerful and seductive forms of heresy, but science exhibits a potency that surpasses them all.
The religion of "scientism" has struck and this is the Chutzpah - the arrogance of atheism - that has been increasing and spreading like a new strain of virus. It is interesting that the Hebrew word Chutzpah has recently become incorporated into English language and thought, and is an almost universally understood idiom. Another gift Jewish culture has given the world? But the Chutzpah of modern heresy also has something else very oddly Jewish about it. Modern science, for all of its heresy, seems to have been stimulated if not outright conspired by none other than the Jews themselves with an entire army of Sassons leading the revolution.
[307]. The Vilna Shas reads Trey Miney, literally "two heretics" or "sectarians." The Vienna Shas , which is the text used by R. Yitzchak Izik in his commentary (see below) , reads Trey Tzedukey, "two Sadducees." He writes that the term Tzedukey was intentionally used here by the sages as a kabbalistic code word playing on the common root word Tzadik, Tzedek and Tzedakah alluding to the inner and hidden qualities of Sasson (Tzadik), Simcha (Tzedek) and their ultimate union (Tzedakah).
[308]. Even Shleimah 8:26, p. 42. See Chapter ?, note ?
[309]The principle of the revelation of a "New Tora" in the future is alluded to by the prophet Yeshayahu in the same chapter 35 that in the future "they will obtain Sasson and Simcha". The "New Tora" is actually the primordial and eternal Tora that will be stripped of its present skin of corporeality as discussed in the previous chapters.
[310]. Leshem Sh'vo V'Achlamah, Sefer De'ah 2:4:22:2, p. 177.
[311]. explain what, in the cosmology of the Leshem, are Orot HaGevurot and why the External Forces could davka want or have access to them etc.. See also Sha'ar HaMitzvot p. 43
[312]. Introduction to the GRA's commentary on Pirkey Avot.
[313]. Pitchey Shearim, Netiv Partzuf Arich, Part 1, p. 207-209, note 32.
[314]. give source and cross reference to our last chapter where this was explained in detail.
[315]. Tevuot Shor, Chidushey Berachot, pg. 12. Similarly, In the year 1910 Rav Kook wrote in a letter (#332) that,
"...today we no longer have, as in early days, that accursed [theological] heresy, from which those who enter do not return. Today, even the most evil opinions are based on a search for righteousness and truth... . Long before the [present period of] Redemption it was possible for the External Forces (klipot) to actively foster evil beliefs. In periods closer to the Redemption, however, the External Forces have no more power to foster evil faiths, but only to weaken, heaven forbid, the flame of faith in the hearts of the faint. This weakness is illusory... . The evil in the [present generation], then, is only external, for within their souls all is good and holy." See also Kasher page 563.
|