215:
died. Regarding him the verse states, 'Precious in the eyes of G-d is the death of His pious ones'. Ben Zoma gazed and was harmed (also trans. went mad). Regarding him the verse states, 'Did you find honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be overfilled and vomit it'. Acher cut down the plantings. Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and left in peace.
602:
312:
between water (above the firmament) and water (below the firmament)' (Genesis 1:6). Since the Torah describes the division of the waters in to upper and lower, why should it be problematic to mention this division? Furthermore, since there are upper and lower waters why did Rabbi Akiva warn them, "do not say, 'Water! Water!'""
360:, as if they were a duality. Rather, all Kabbalistic emanations have no being of their own, but are nullified and dependent on their source of vitality in the One God. Nonetheless, Kabbalah maintains that God is revealed through the life of His emanations, Man interacting with Divinity in a mutual
311:
said to his students, "When you come to the place of pure marble stones, do not say 'Water! Water!' lest you place yourselves in danger, for it is said, 'He who speaks untruths shall not stand before My eyes.'" But it is written, 'There shall be a firmament between the waters and it shall separate
318:
The ancient Saba answered, "Rabbi, Rabbi, Holy Lamp. Surely the pure marble stones are the letter yud—one the upper yud of the letter aleph, and one the lower yud of the letter aleph. Here there is no spiritual impurity, only pure marble stones, so there is no separation between one water and the
214:
The Rabbis taught: Four entered the Pardes. They were Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Acher and Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva said to them, "When you come to the place of pure marble stones, do not say, 'Water! Water!' for it is said, 'He who speaks untruths shall not stand before My eyes'". Ben Azzai gazed and
427:
are the dividing emanations. When the two lights combine as "marble", the two yuds combine as one. ... These waters are completely pure. ... Through
Compassion the daughter (Kingship) is able to ascend "to her father's house as in her youth". The firmament between them ו (letter
234:
says that ben Azzai died from looking at the Divine
Presence. Ben Zoma's harm was in losing his sanity. Acher's "cutting down the plantings" in the orchard refers to becoming a heretic from the experience. Acher means "the other one", and is the Talmudic term for the
390:), the complete nullification and Unity of the sefirot and Creation is revealed within its Divine source. Apparent separation only pertains, in successive degrees, to the lower Three Worlds and our Physical Realm. Introducing false separation causes the exile of the
398:
The meaning of Rabbi Akiva's warning is that the Sages should not declare that there are two types of water, since there are not, lest you endanger yourself because of the sin of separation. ... The marble stones represent the letter י
150:
315:
The Holy Lamp (a title for Shimon bar Yochai) replied, "Saba, it is proper that you reveal this secret that the chevraya (Rabbi Shimon's circle of disciples) have not grasped clearly."
415:(last letter). The latter is "female waters", and the former is "male waters" ... the inner and outer aspects ... signified by the top and the bottom yuds of the letter א
323:, which is the vav in the midst of the letter aleph. In this regard it states, 'and if he take of the Tree of Life (and eat and live forever)' (Genesis 3:22) ..."
186:
suggests the four were examining the claims and early documents of
Christianity and that the Tosefta account preserves the scholarly undertaking most accurately.
260:, medieval commentaries on the Talmud, say that the four sages "did not go up literally, but it appeared to them as if they went up." On the other hand, Rabbi
340:: Shaar Arachei HaKinuim, entry on Mayim-Water). The meaning of the ascent is understood through Rabbi Akiva's warning. The danger concerns misinterpreting
249:
Rashi explains that the four rabbis ascended to Heaven by utilizing the Divine Name, which might be understood as achieving a spiritual elevation through
504:
172:
436:), which is Compassion, unites them. ... There is no separation other than in a place of spiritual impurity, but "Here there is no impurity ... the
559:. edited by Stanley F. Chyet. Series: South Florida Studies in the History of Judaism. no. 166. Atlanta, Ga: Scholars Press. 1998. pp. 46–57.
603:
Shraga Bar-On and Eugene D. Matanky, "Revelation as Heresy
Mysticism and Elisha ben Abuyah’s Apostasy in Classic Rabbinic Literature," in
419:. ... Each is a stone because its shape is round. White "marble" indicates Compassion, similar to "waters of kindness". ... Wisdom is יש "
470:
210:
except privately to particularly qualified disciples. The version in the
Babylonian Talmud, which is the best-known, may be translated:
403:... a yud at the beginning, and a yud at the end. ... The first is Wisdom, the second Kingship, which is also Wisdom according to the
246:
read "Elisha ben Abuyah" in place of "Acher"). Akiva, in contrast to the other three, became the leading
Rabbinic figure of the era.
86:. One looked and died. One looked and was harmed. One looked and cut down the trees. And one went up in peace and went down in peace.
747:
277:
for the four traditional methods of exegesis in
Judaism. In this sense, they were the four to understand the whole Torah.
341:
742:
206:. The earliest context, found in the Tosefta, is the restriction on transmitting mystical teaching concerning the
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327:
732:
353:
352:
Divine Unity and the plurality of
Creation. The fundamental mystical error involves separating between divine
437:
320:
115:
694:
699:
243:
220:
120:
423:" Being. Kinship is שי "Shay" (reversed). Combined they form שיש "Shayish" (marble). The letter ש
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207:
715:
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106:
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79:
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75:
23:
105:
Sources differ concerning which sage died and which became demented; the
Tosefta and the
690:
465:
408:
332:
261:
242:(Yerushalmi identifies him as EbA on the following line; MSS Munich 6 of the Bavli and
176:
169:
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59:(the "orchard" of esoteric Torah knowledge), only one of whom succeeded in leaving the
336:("Orchard of Pomegranates"), whose title itself refers to the Pardes mystical ascent (
726:
424:
420:
364:
of "Direct Light" from Above to Below and "Returning Light" from Below to Above. The
264:
wrote that the journey to paradise "is to be taken literally and not allegorically".
165:
429:
154:
521:
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308:
605:
Canonization and
Alterity: Heresy in Jewish History, Thought, and Literature
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357:
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132:
55:
660:
David J. Halperin, A new edition of the Hekhalot literature (Review of
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377:
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349:
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236:
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50:
42:
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412:
39:
607:, ed. G. Sharvit and W. Goetschel (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2020), 50–83
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comprise the dynamic life in God's Persona. In the highest of the
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231:
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46:
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A Translation of the Treatise Chagigah from the Babylonian Talmud
194:
The story is found in several places, with minor variations: the
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577:
400:
543:
S.H. Levey, "The Best Kept Secret of the Rabbinic Tradition".
407:
that returns from Below to Above. The upper is the yud of the
404:
361:
344:, introducing corporeal notions in the Divine. Emanations in
175:, which were used for פרדס's Biblical Hebrew equivalent גן,
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say ben Azzai died and ben Zoma became demented, but the
394:
within Creation from God. From Cordovero's explanation:
319:
other; they form a single unity from the aspect of the
16:
Jewish legend about the "orchard" of esoteric knowledge
157:. The same Old Persian root is the source of the word
303:
The ancient Saba (an old man) stood up and said (to
285:Another version of the legend is also found in the
219:Versions of the story also appear in the esoteric
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301:
212:
68:
411:(first letter), while the lower is the yud of
307:), "Rabbi, Rabbi! What is the meaning of what
8:
27:
711:
709:
557:The Text and I: Writings of Samson H. Levey
681:(Cambridge University Press, 1891). p. 83.
666:Journal of the American Oriental Society
496:
267:According to another interpretation,
7:
330:explains the Zoharic passage in his
471:Maaseh Breishit and Maaseh Merkavah
153:) and appears several times in the
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66:The basic story goes as follows:
53:(1st century CE) who visited the
38:, "orchard") is the subject of a
461:Jewish eschatology#World to come
182:Samson Levey proposed the Greek
179:, in early Bible translations.
662:Synopse zur Hekhalot-Literatur
299:40), which adds to the story:
1:
547:. vol. 21, no. 4. 1972, 468.
342:anthropomorphism in Kabbalah
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281:Interpretation in Kabbalah
130:
70:Four entered the orchard:
328:Moses ben Jacob Cordovero
133:Paradise § Etymology
29:
28:
717:from ascentofsafed.com
505:"Tosefta Chagigah 2:2"
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325:
217:
103:
45:("legend") about four
748:Entering heaven alive
151:𐬞𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌⸱𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬰𐬀
131:Further information:
123:record the reverse.
116:Shir HaShirim Rabbah
700:Jewish Encyclopedia
664:by Peter Schäfer),
568:Tosefta Hagigah 2:2
522:מילים שמקורן בפרסית
348:bridge between the
221:Hekhalot literature
149:origin (cf Avestan
145:, "orchard") is of
121:hekhalot literature
91:Babylonian Talmud,
743:Merkabah mysticism
486:Jewish eschatology
476:Merkabah mysticism
695:Elisha ben Abuyah
645:Babylonian Talmud
589:Jerusalem Talmud
456:Elisha ben Abuyah
451:Pardes (exegesis)
305:Shimon bar Yochai
251:Jewish meditation
240:Elisha ben Abuyah
200:Babylonian Talmud
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333:Pardes Rimonim
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703:, 1901-1906.
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438:Tree of Life
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289:literature (
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481:Four Worlds
382:Four Worlds
309:Rabbi Akiva
295:I, 26b and
253:practices.
727:Categories
492:References
374:Compassion
227:Exposition
202:, and the
173:παράδεισος
119:, and the
63:unharmed.
432:in the א
392:Shekhinah
358:immanence
184:paradosis
166:paradisus
139:פַּרְדֵּס
127:Etymology
72:Ben Azzai
30:פַּרְדֵּס
445:See also
387:Atziluth
378:Kingship
346:Kabbalah
287:mystical
159:paradise
89:—
76:Ben Zoma
649:Hagigah
591:Hagigah
578:Hagigah
545:Judaism
366:Sefirot
350:Ein Sof
275:acronym
258:Tosafot
196:Tosefta
190:Account
147:Persian
97:Hagigah
93:Tosefta
49:of the
43:aggadah
32:
413:Adonai
370:Wisdom
338:Pardes
273:is an
270:PaRDeS
198:, the
177:Garden
143:pardes
61:pardes
56:pardes
47:rabbis
40:Jewish
36:pardēs
24:Hebrew
20:Pardes
434:aleph
417:aleph
405:light
292:Zohar
237:tanna
232:Rashi
170:Greek
163:Latin
155:Bible
84:Akiva
425:Shin
421:Yesh
376:and
362:Flow
356:and
256:The
168:and
161:via
697:",
693:, "
651:14b
593:2:1
580:14b
430:Vav
401:yud
100:2.2
729::
708:^
647:,
507:.
372:,
223:.
113:,
74:,
26::
511:.
384:(
141:(
22:(
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