R' Ashlag Ch. 32 (sect. 1)

[Once again, I'll transfer the whole thing over to ravashlag.blogspot.com once its finished.]

Chapter Thirty-Two:

Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag's "Introduction to the Zohar"

-- as translated and commented on by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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32.

1.

"The third stage (encompasses the period of time in which) we serve G-d by (observing His) Torah and mitzvot with the intent to bestow rather than be rewarded. Doing that purifies our selfish ratzon l’kabel and transforms it into a ratzon l’hashpia -- a willingness to bestow. And the more we purify our ratzon l’kabel, the more worthy and ready will we be to receive the five parts of the soul termed N. R. N. C. Y. (in their entirety)."
-- N. R. N. C. Y. stands for Nephesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya, and Yechida, the five parts of the soul in ascending order. Though Rabbi Ashlag often explains them in another context, in general terms the Nephesh is that part of the soul that's most proximate to the body and is what keeps it alive at bottom. The Ruach is where our sense of self lies, and it's associated most especially with the emotions. The Neshama is the root of the above and their source, and it's tied-in most especially with the mind. The Chaya is the root and source of the Neshama and is out of our experience; it binds "heaven" to "earth" in that it's the intermediary between Nephesh-Ruach-Neshama and the utterly G-dly Yechida. And the Yechida is the point at which all the elements of the soul and G-d's presence join together ("b'yachad").
-- While we've all been granted a Nephesh and Ruach from the first, not everyone has a Neshama, Chaya, and/or Yechida. In addition, we'd need to merit an "inner" Nephesh and Ruach aside from the "outer" ones we're all born with if we're to succeed. All that depends on how we fulfill the mitzvah-system in this life and to what degree we're selfless about it.

"For those five levels are only applicable to the willingness to bestow and they can’t be attired in our body as long as the ratzon l’kabel in it holds sway. For it’s different from it and indeed its opposite. For the notions of being attired (in something) and having affinity with it go hand in hand."
-- When some one thing is "attired" in another one, the two are intimate with each other as a consequence and thus share an affinity. If you recall, we spoke of affinities above (see Ch. 8). In short it comes to this: when two entities are so identical that each loves what the other loves and hates what the other hates, they in fact love and are “attached” to one another, and thus share an affinity. Rabbi Ashlag's point is that once we earn a willingness to bestow, our conjoined body and soul come to love and hate the same things and are in synch, and we're able to earn a full N. R. N. C. Y. as a consequence.

"So, when you achieve a complete willingness to bestow without the need for anything for yourself (in return), you’ll have attained an affinity with your sublime N. R. N. C. Y., which extend from their roots in the Infinite in the first era, then extend through the Holy A.B.Y.A. to then become attired in your being by degrees."
-- See Ch's 10, 12, 14, and 15 most especially for an explanation of this.

(c) 2005 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

(Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org )

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